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Elisabet Curbelo is the Assistant Professor of Electro-Acoustic Composition and Music Theory at the University of Utah. Armed with a PhD in Music Composition from UC San Diego, she has produced “pieces for ensemble and solo instruments, voice, choir, acoustic and electro-acoustic music, music for dance, installation work, and music for improvisers, advertising, podcasts and visual media.”

Curbelo’s debut CD Resonance Unbound is a fascinating and often unsettling exploration of experimental sound. This collection of works, spanning from 2009 to 2018, showcases Curbelo’s adventurous approach to composition, blending acoustic instruments with electronic manipulation and found sounds. It is also the result of inspiration derived from places she has lived, including The Canary Islands, Spain, Turkey and California. The results are frequently intriguing, if not always conventionally “musical.”

The album opens with the stark contrast of “Canarian Bayram,” where sparse piano chords collide with a somewhat ragged, marching fanfare of horns. This chamber ensemble piece sets the stage for the diverse sonic landscapes to come. “Fantasía Flamenca” is perhaps the most immediately engaging piece, featuring distorted guitar riffs, the rhythmic snap of flamenco footwork, and echoing voices, creating a dark and almost hallucinatory atmosphere. The more abstract pieces, however, are where Curbelo truly pushes boundaries. For example, “Roxanne’nın Dönüşümü” uses the unsettling sound of reverberating, groaning appliances to create a sense of unease.

“Kara Toprak” offers a moment of relative beauty, with the gentle sawing of a Middle Eastern zither called the kanun providing a melancholic melody against a dark, rumbling backdrop. “Mikrop” is a particularly challenging listen, what with its viola sawing away amid murky, bubbling electronics evoking a sense of something unpleasant brewing. “Epulos,” pushes forth with a spare and deep prepared double bass sound, exploring the textures and timbres of the instrument through taps and scrapes, creating a sense of vast emptiness. Finally, “L’anello” closes the album with a high-pitched whine and clanging percussion, transporting the listener into the “sparkle and multi-faceted nature of a diamond ring.”

Resonance Unbound demands close listening and a willingness to embrace unconventional sounds. While not every piece will resonate with every listener, the album as a whole offers a compelling glimpse into Curbelo’s unique sonic world and her fearless experimentation with sound. It’s a challenging but ultimately rewarding experience for those interested in contemporary and experimental music.

Label: Neuma Catalog Number: 205 Format: CD Packaging: Mini-LP tri-fold jacket Tracks: 7 Total Time: 57:30 Country: United States Released: 2024 More: Official

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