Let the Soil Play Its Simple Part

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Let the Soil Play Its Simple Part is Caroline Shaw's second release for 2021 in a collaboration with So Percussion for Nonesuch Records. Featuring Shaw's vocals, So accompanies her in a manner similar to a rock band or jazz ensemble, offering a variety of interesting harmonic and rhythmic support exclusively with acoustic percussion and electronics.
On the first track, "To the Sky," So behaves more like a rock band, with obvious bass, rhythmic, and harmonic foundation. Bowed percussion gives an ethereal harmonic effect, blending seamlessly with Shaw's layered vocals. The ever-changing marimba percolations are reminiscent of Steve Reich, maintaining a driving rhythmic flow. Jason Treuting's drumming is delightfully spontaneous and syncopated. The constantly shifting rhythms, textures, and timbres are refreshing and perpetually fascinating.
One idea for the album was for Shaw to record a duet with each individual member of So. These duets are surprisingly full and dynamic with the use of electronics, loops, and layering. One of the most striking of these duets is "Lay All Your Love on Me," originally written by the band Abba, and based on a Baroque chorale. This unlikely juxtaposition begins (and ends) softly with the marimba, played by Adam Sliwinski. Shaw's voice quietly enters and gradually builds to a powerful soaring climax. "Long Ago We Counted" is a duet with Shaw and Treuting on the drum set. The concept of a melodic instrument (in this case Shaw's voice) being accompanied by a non-pitched instrument brings some interesting challenges with the lack of tonal representation in terms of bass and harmony, but Shaw and Treuting skillfully overcame this with the application of vocal layering and electronics. Also notable is Shaw's use of some of the more contemporary extended vocal techniques and sounds, such as throat singing and grunting-type sounds. Overall, this album is very innovative with Shaw and So pushing hard against established stylistic boundaries.

© RJ Lambert /TiVo