Antiphony of the Trees

Antiphony of the Trees, the seventh record from Laura Cannell, saw a change of scenery for the composer and improvisor. On past albums, Cannell has recorded in unique places and spaces in order to explore location-based acoustics but last year, access to her usual musical stomping grounds (medieval churches, historic lighthouses, hydraulic power stations, etc) was denied for all the obvious reasons. Consigned to her kitchen studio, Cannell found inspiration in a different locale – the surrounding fenlands of her home in East Anglia, where birdlife became the primary focus of her latest release.

Performed entirely on recorders (alto, tenor, bass and double recorders), the 11-track collection swoops, soars and settles, the instruments mimicking the calls of ravens, honey buzzards and other native birds. The skittish opening trills of ‘For the Raven’ segues into ‘For the Gatherers’ where dark, rhythmic hoots sound out the encroaching shadow of some apex avian. The title-track renders a hubbub of chirps and cheeps, set against the backdrop of a high drone, while the latter half of the album heads off on a more ambient tack, with songs such as ‘The Girl Who Became an Owl’ and ‘Awake from Your Feathered Slumber’ blending to form a long, wordless lullaby. A clever, compelling homage to the world in our back gardens.