Like the Grass

Like the Grass is a collaborative work between ‘bow expert’ Cara Stacey, violinist and composer Galina Juritz (both South African), German harp player Antonia Ravens and Swiss guitarist and ‘sonic explorer’ (musician?) Beat Keller. The album ‘documents and reimagines a warm summer's evening in Basel, Switzerland.’ The A side works through warm and folky violin melodies and driving lamellophones into more avant-grade dissonances, using a host of predominantly string instruments to create a nature-inspired soundscape. The B side is a set of remixes from other collaborators, moving between more overt dance tracks (‘Set’), glitchy (‘Ehrfurcht’), meditations (‘LTG’). Stacey finishes the record with a more organic take on her rework (‘Fluss’).

The A side displays a vast array of instruments from around sub-Saharan Africa, including those from Mozambique and Uganda, which are celebrated within the music itself. It is a shame that they were unable to collaborate with musicians from these regions, which could have enabled a richer plurality of sonic and rhythmic textures and perhaps a deeper cohesion between the voices.