KALI MALONE Vinyl & CDs

Review: All Life Long is the latest work from accomplished ambient, experimental artist Kali Malone. It's the first work since 2019's The Sacrificial Code on which Malone has composed for the organ - the instrument she's best known for. As a committed explorer of the instrument and its tonal, harmonic qualities, she's taken the organ to some surprising places and so it continues on this latest album. But Malone is never constrained to just one approach in music, as evidenced by recent collaboration with Stephen O'Malley and Lucy Railton amongst others and there are some striking voice and brass partnerships on this record which widen out her approach in compelling new directions.

Review: If you're keyed into the modern classical stretch of the contemporary ambient world, you'll have likely discovered Kali Malone before. Her works have been largely focused on the organ, which she has pushed into all manner of experimental realms as a vessel for life-affirming drones, but don't be misled into thinking that's the only tool in her kit. Malone is a constantly evolving, inquisitive artist and her new album All Life Long confirms this with specific pieces for voice and brass performed by Macadam Ensemble and Anima Brass. Rewarding the patient listener and breaking new ground in her compelling, studious approach to music, this is another firm reminder of Malone's formidable presence in contemporary experimental music circles.

Review: 'Does Spring Hide Its Joy' is an immersive audio experience by American composer Kali Malone featuring the likes of Stephen O'Malley and Lucy Railton. Created and recorded in the empty Berlin Funkhaus & Monom during the lockdown of spring 2020, the music is a study in long-form, non-linear durational composition, with dramatic ringing synth patches that reverberate through both the mind and the tower Malone recorded in. With a 10-minute film accompaniment, the iconic nineteenth-century Grade II listed building was the stage for Malone's composition, which breathes and bellows through porous brick walls, reverberating toward the surface.

Review: Ideologic Organ do things their own way here with an uncompromisingly long new album Does Spring Hide Its Joy from Kali Malone. It comes as a triple LP set that cannot fail to immerse you into rich soundscapes that are aided by Stephen O'Malley on electric guitar and Lucy Railton on cello. Composer Malone herself contributes sine wave oscillators as she focuses on harmony, non-linear arrangements and intonation. It is an album of nuanced minimalism that builds on and departs from previous themes in her work to make for a stand-alone and stand-out record.