Lia Kohl
Good morning.
Today we’re listening to Lia Kohl, an American cellist and composer based in Chicago. She started playing cello when she was eight, studied classical music, and upon moving to Chicago got more into experimental and abstract music. Her latest album, Normal Sounds, came out last week. The album’s seven tracks take a recorded sound from everyday life – a refrigerator’s hum or a car’s alarm – and build elegant string and synth accompaniment around it. We’re also playing her 2023 record, The Ceiling Reposes, which integrates a wide range of sounds, from radio to kazoo. Stephan Kunze recently published a great conversation with Kohl, who herself publishes a newsletter called Internet Lia.
Normal Sounds - Lia Kohl (40m, background spoken vocals on track 3)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal
The Ceiling Reposes - Lia Kohl (30m, spoken voice from a radio on a few tracks)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal
Have a great Wednesday.
Love this one!
Texturally very interesting. Part of my listening brain tries to source the sounds while another soaks them in and still another can permit them to exist while I do other things. Can engage full attention but does not 'grab' it - but when engaged, is worth attending to.