Born into a family of musicians, composer, vocalist, & multi-instrumentalist Heather Woods Broderick began classical training on the piano at a young age picking up other instruments along the way like flute, guitar, and cello. It is the latter which she chose to make the sole focus of her new instrumental album Domes because of the respite over the past two years, a period which she found as turbulent and chaotic as the rest of us.
The backstory of the album is simple. We are told Heather’s days started or ended with the cello as she followed a process initiated by a single melody in which new elements were gradually added opening a path for self-reflection and the expression of emotions through purely instrumental means. The healing nature of that process was something she wished to share with her listeners through the seven pieces that Domes comprises.
The cyclical nature of the loop combined with the sound feeling like it’s surrounding me feels serene and safe. My hope is that listeners experience this as well.
The end result, of course, resides in the ear of the beholder, but having spent considerable time in the generous embrace of these shimmering, enveloping drones, I would describe their cumulative effect as something like the musical equivalent of a gently weighted blanket. There is a fervency to the pieces that definitely resonates on an emotional scale, but density of the layers lends them a reassuring heaviness that induces calm, introspection, and perhaps a sweet dream or two.
Domes is available digitally from the Dauw label as well as on limited edition clear vinyl LP or cassette featuring artwork by Femke Strijbol. At the time of publishing, a small number of limited vinyl test pressings were also available to be ordered.
Links: Bandcamp (LP/cassette) | Heather Woods Broderick
Stationary Travels 