Narnia, they say, is a land where it’s always winter and never Christmas. The implication being that once the calendar clicks over and the ornaments are put away, the harsh reality of the season reveals itself.
Emily Cross is set to release Wabi-Sabi, her second LP as Cross Record, right into the post-holiday freeze, and it’s hard to think of a more appropriate time for it. That title refers to the Japanese aesthetic principle of finding beauty in impermanence and transience, and “Basket,” which is taken from the album, is a fitting portrait of that concept in miniature. Cross’ voice etches crystalline through an otherwise muddy stage of plucked cello notes and sustained bass while a muffled note pierces the high end. Those low-end tones forecast trouble that does indeed come cascading in in the song’s final seconds, but even at its most dissonant—and it gets plenty dissonant—Cross’ vocal melody and that one decaying note carry the song; their beauty is what gives “Basket” its momentum. Winter is coming.
Wabi-Sabi track list
“The Curtains Part”
“Two Rings”
“Steady Waves”
“High Rise”
“Something Unseen Touches a Flower to My Forehead”
“The Depths”
“Basket”
“Wasp in a Jar”
“Lemon”
Wabi-Sabi is out January 29 on Ba Da Bing.
