JULIA KENT - Green and Grey (CD Important Records)
Julia Kent is mostly known for her work as a cellist in groups such as Antony & the Johnsons, C93 and Fovea Hex. Over the years, she has also contributed heavily to the sound Michael Begg and Deryk Thomas gently stir into shape via Human Greed and US modern classical music trio, Rasputina. A highly accomplished cellist whose own trajectory rarely belies her classical training, she also leaps beyond such possibly comfortable settings via her willingness to collaborate with a wide array of artists clearly operating in worlds generally completely opposite.
It is perhaps partly because of this that her own music, as captured here on her second solo album in five years, laps at those shores where often moody neo-Classic landscapes are additionally coloured by field recordings, electronics and even, on 'Missed', some stuttering beats that, alongside some melodic keys, move everything closer to the kind of film score Darren Aronofsky gravitates towards.
Overtly, it would be too easy to dismiss everything on Green and Grey as being of a sober disposition, though. To do so would be to eschew the amount of movement and detail each piece wraps itself around. And, indeed, it is precisely this that renders Julia Kent's work so enchanting. It is music that conjures up mystery, a journey to a fantastic place, and nature's finer attractions. Each return visit more rewarding than the last. RJ
Contact: www.importantrecords.com