Ashley Bathgate - "8-Track" album review

 Ashley Bathgate - 8-Track album review

8-Track explores a younger generation's response to Reich's Cello Counterpoint, a new recording of which culminates the album.

Ashley Bathgate's latest solo album expands the repertoire for soloist plus pre-recorded layered tracks, essentially creating an album of works for a one person cello octet. Released by New Focus Recordings, 8-Track explores a younger generation's response to Reich's Cello Counterpoint, a new recording of which culminates the album. Working with layering the same instrument over and over poses timbral, compositional and studio challenges. The album's production, combined with Bathgate's playing, makes it impossible to determine which of the eight tracks is supposed to be the live one, whether or not that's good or bad is up to interpretation. While overall 8-Track retains its interest, at times the clean post-production creates a lack of depth to the implied cello ensemble.

Bathgate, who is also has producer credit, brings her rich, resonant tone and energetic playing to an album of highly intricate rhythms, requiring strong endurance and an insanely accurate sense of pulse. In addition to a dazzling rendition of Steve Reich's Cello Counterpoint, Bathgate expertly presents the work of three composers: Fjóla Evans, Emily Cooley and Alex Weiser.

Augun, a 2013 work by Canadian/Icelandic composer and cellist Fjóla Evans, opens the album with high-pitched rocking harmonics, which become increasingly more annoying through the six minute work. Augun is a cute introductory warm-up to the album, but is by far the weakest piece in terms of interest and timbral sound.

Emily Cooley's Assemble, originally commissioned by Bathgate, utilizes the multitrack cello to slowly piece together a resounding tonal chorale. Assembling the cellos layer by layer creates a convincing piece with engaging rhythmic drive, even while sticking to more traditional sounds and harmonies. Cooley effectively uses triplet and syncopated stutters to break the groove in seemingly random places, catching the listener off guard, always in a good way.

Willow's Song, an extraneous minute and a half song here added in its arrangement for cello octet, is pleasant enough, but feels out of place. Following the song is Shimmer, both being composed by Alex Weiser, the only of the new pieces on 8-Track which explores the implied physical space created by one live player and seven additional layered tracks. Weiser's depth created works so well due to the incredibly simple ascending runs permeating the entire work. Shimmer pays significant to its namesake, as well as Reich's original counterpoint, being the most stereotypical minimalist work besides Cello Counterpoint.


listen to or purchase 8-Track on BandCamp here

© 2023 Brutal New Music Reviews

originally written and published 21 July 2023

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