Huge Shark
It has been a while, but I’m pleased to be back with you! You’ve all been living through a heat wave, and I’ve been travelling overseas — first Tulum, Mexico, then England, and I’m off to Australia in August. I’ve returned home this time to rather unremarkable, pleasant weather in San Diego — and to a lovely new EP from Toronto artist Avi C. Engel.
Engel avers their Five Figments is “not an album… more a series of figments.” But this brief, haunting EP may be better described as a series of meditations, lulling and mesmerizing the listener into an altered state of consciousness.
The recording starts with “in the swamp,” a wraparound peaceful melody accompanied by a few soft lines: “wild bird in the swamp/ slow murky light/ mend my heart and mind.” It reflects on the wetlands near where Engel lives, but more than that: it’s “a response to hearing about Ed Yong’s “Spoonbill Club,” a birding group for people living with long covid.” The song could be a mantra for anyone who lives with illness and searches for light.
“Mossy groove” is one of several tracks to feature Engel on the chalumeau, a late baroque reed instrument considered the predecessor of the modern clarinet. A multi-instrumentalist, Engel here debuts on the chalumeau, sounding already expert. A simple fluting melody carries the listener deep into the forest.
The EP closes with the haunting “familiar,” addressed to Engel’s “non-human (or more-than-human) friends.” Like “in the swamp,” “familiar” repeats and circles around, creating a trance-like auditory environment that the listener willingly falls into. “My familiar,” Engel sings, “shadow me/ I’ll give you everything you need.”
Right now, a little music-induced calm might just be everything we all need.
Five Figments can be found at https://aviengel.bandcamp.com/album/five-figments.
Happy listening, Huge Shark
