Kali Malone and Drew McDowall - Magnetism

A collaboration that's been a long time in the post, and yet somehow surpasses expectations. I know people deterred by the hype that surrounds Kali Malone - which is not her fault btw - though sometimes you have to concede that the chatter might have something to say. Her synthesis with Drew McDowall could well represent the best output from either in some time. The monolithic nature of Does Spring Hide Its Joy was at times intimidating, and last year's All Life Long was expansive in ways that proved Malone's range but took her away from her signature sound. Magnetism, by contrast, is a display of brilliant restraint, heavy as you'd expect any work featuring the pair to be, though also intimate and, well, magnetic, like a black hole dragging you in and under. Technically there's always a lot going on when Malone steps in the room (I'll save you the clumsy lecture on 'just intonation'), which is of course impressive, but let it not detract from the genuine emotional resonance of the work, a quality that McDowall has also long displayed since his ties with Coil. This one's been out a week and I've barely lifted the needle from it. A genuinely masterful expression of minimalist heft born of academic study but manifested as something powerful, elemental, and feeling. Best in the game, all things considered.  
 
FFO: Sarah Davachi, Ellen Fullman, Pauline Oliveros, Kara-Lis Coverdale