Claire Rousay - 17 Roles (All Mapped Out)

Cassette

The unerringly prolific pioneer of emo-ambient (isn't all ambient emo now?) returns with one long 24 minute piece released to cassette for Shelter Press. Rousay fans will enjoy this commitment to long form, as she utilises a number of her now signature approaches to create something that feels definitive, or at least puts a flag in the sand for the sound she's been cultivating for some time now. Field recordings, samples of the human voice, fragments of drones and sustained strings (of guitars, harps, of other stuff..?) are interwoven with a narrative-like detail eve if that narrative is never directly expressed. It feels as if Rousay is not only exploring sound, but story, too, which in some ways remind me of both Robert Ashley and Blue Gene Tyranny. Her compositions are always subtle and supple, and the message isn't always obvious - she's too sophisticated a writer to openly spell something out - but there's an edifyng sense of intent at the heart of 17 roles that feels meaningful in its own shrouded way. A quietly moving piece, made ever more impressive by just how frequently Rousay seems to be able to create music like this.