I have WPRB (103.3 on your FM dial) to thank for introducing me to another powerful intoxicating minimal mesmerizing record.
The first one came over the airwaves a few decades ago as I was making my way home from yet another successful visit to Princeton Record Exchange, meandering my way on back roads towards home when “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet” made its way around the wagon’s cabin, the B-Side to Gavin Bryers 1975 album The Sinking of the Titanic. With “Jesus’ Blood” as soundtrack, that drive home felt as if I’d traveled through states and decades.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago as I was driving through driving snow when “Encircled In Moss” came on, a bonus track from She Came Through The Window To Stand By The Door by Natalia Beylis and Eimear Reidy co-released in 2023 by Nyahh Records and Eiderdown Records. Within a few bars I was once again time-traveling, this time back into my own history. I shared that story with Patrons and I’ll leave it there as it’s very personal. As odd as it may seem, I feel the same way about this deeply moving record.
Organ (Natalia Beylis) and cello (Eimear Reidy) “Recorded at St Georges Church, Carrick On Shannon, Leitrim on a cold early January with a William Telford Organ. Built in 1846, it is reputed to be the second oldest organ in Ireland.”
I bought the LP—a limited edition of 200 in the US—which arrived yesterday and downloaded the download from Bandcamp as soon as I got home from that dive into a painful part of my past.
Music soothes.