Sydney Spann // Sending Up A Spiral Of LP

This is a record released by Sydney Spann, an American/NY sound artist who has released on labels such as Reading Group in the past, from the LA experimental label Recital in September 2023.

Contains 6 drone pop to collage ambient songs based on the concept of care work and voice.Includes a 16-page booklet with photos, sheet music, and essays.

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"Sending Up A Spiral Of, the first record release by American artist Sydney Spann, is a great summary of Sydney Spann's previous body of work. Caregivers such as babysitters, sex workers, therapists, and nurses. Those with experience in the work may have unique musical knowledge developed over time through the specific vocalizations they have practiced to achieve the desired results in their work. Familiarizing yourself with how to produce and listen to music and incorporating it into your sonic practices may be a way to legitimize a type of musical knowledge that is less recognized.

Sending Up A Spiral Of explores this unspoken expression through sound and song.The title track transports Spann into a chisotic forest, as if it begins in an urban fairy tale.A self-soothing song trembles beneath dragged branches, peeling cement, and other tactile gravel.The piece falls into a new closeness halfway through, as electronic contours cover the environment.Signtone smolders with pulsating choreography, perhaps reminiscent of Richard Maxfield's ``Night Music.''

The second section of the record depicts a series of five small portraits rendered (or disguised) as lullabies.An oceanic hum pervades these works. "Possession" and "Purposeful Evening" are the most popular lullabies, with their repeated verses and choruses and simplicity of melody.Plain words like baby and honey are encoded with deeper, often painful meanings.Spann's voice and vision on this album are ambitious, wrapped in the tensions and contradictions of what love means in the nuclear family. "

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12" black vinyl. Edition of 200. Includes 16-page full color artist booklet. 

Tracklist:           

1. Sending Up A Spiral Of 20:11
2. Cow, Cow, Cow, Rabbit, Recalcitrance, Bunny, Dog, Dog, Dog 03:37
3. Possession 04:52
4. Love Undoes Me Every Day 01:59
5. Waulking 04:41
6. Purposeful Evening 05:57

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Recital:

"The first vinyl release from American artist Sydney Spann, Sending Up A Spiral Of well encapsulates Spann's body of work thus far. On their music, which reacts to themes of family systems and care work, Sydney writes, “people who have done care work — nannies, sex workers, therapists, nurses— may possess their own musical knowledge, developed over time through particular modes of voicing practiced to achieve a desired outcome in their labor. Attending intimately to these ways of voicing and listening and bringing them into a sound practice could be a way to legitimize a less recognized kind of musical knowledge.”

Sending Up A Spiral Of explores this unarticulated expression through sound and song. The titular piece traces Spann within some quixotic woodland, as if beginning inside of some urban fairy-story. Self-soothing singing quivers under dragging branches, peeling cement and other tactile grit The work drops into a new proximity half-way through as electronic contours overtake the environment. Sine-tones smolder in a pulsating choreography, perhaps reminiscent of Richard Maxfield's “Night Music” played at half-speed.

The second section of the record depicts a series of five smaller portraits, expressed (or disguised) as lullabies. An oceanic humming permeates them. “Possession” and “Purposeful Evening” are the most song-like lullabies, with their verse-chorus repetition and melodic simplicity. Innocuous words “baby” and “honey” are encoded with deeper, often painful connotations. Sydney's voice and vision for this album is ambitious, cloaked in the strains and contradictions of what love means in the nuclear family."

Artist: Sydney Spann

Label: Recital