The Nausea is the avatar of Vancouver composer and multi-instrumentalist Anju Singh (Paralytics, Ceremonial Bloodbath…). Singh’s sonic explorations have earned him a good reputation in experimental noise circles. This Requiem, though heir to the composer’s artistic approach, offers a very interesting side step. Here, Singh tampers with his instruments (violin, viola, cello and his voice) in generally consonant, but harmonically and/or texturally saturated constructions. He helps himself a little with electro, but you can clearly hear the acoustic instruments being strummed and rubbed powerfully, in simple architectures that progress with increasing dynamism or accelerating pulsations, a little like Ludwig Göransson in Oppenheimer‘s music. Singh’s method makes it possible to illustrate movements with evocative titles (De Morte transire, Ascension, Abyssal Depths, Per Sepulchra,….) in a highly communicative way. A recipe that also works wonders in emotional terms: we’re won over, embraced by the gripping, highly evocative images. At the crossroads of noise, repetitive minimalism, expressionism and serious contemporary classical writing, Requiem is a demanding yet accessible sonic journey that you shouldn’t pass up.
