Ambient has always been an incredibly inadequate word to describe recordings of this magnitude. In a departure from the pipe organ, Kali Malone, the Stockholm based contemporary composer, takes yet another singular pathway inviting all intrepid sonic travellers aboard. Employing forward thinking electroacoustic methods of recording, these two long movements knit together trombone from Mats Äleklint, and bass clarinet by Isak Hedtjärn. But, not to be outdone, Malone encases these with sinuous drones from an ARP 2500 Synthesizer. The juxtaposition to her early career is stark, and marks Malone out as a risk taker, and artist of true integrity.
Living Torch exudes a beckoning mournful sound, as if navigating a moor enveloped in gloom, whilst one examines life at a granular level. But the album never becomes monochromatic: it’s seemingly organic microtonal shifts swamp the senses as you’re propelled on a journey of transformation. And yet, equally, you may be held rapt in a ritualistic union with this paean to hope and creativity.
