A veteran cello player who has enjoyed a diverse and esteemed career that includes film scores and both solo and small group recordings, Lori Goldston has much experience in folk, classical, post-rock and many other genres, many of which are present across the eight often improvised tracks found here.
“Real And Imagined” opens the listen with Goldston’s amplified cello manipulating sound with mysterious droning that’s artistic, experimental, distorted and eventually gains a bit of tension as it progresses through six minutes of abstractness.
“Cold Air” follows, and it comes with careful bowed tonality that’s as absorbing as it is unique, and “Crossing Over Place” continues the creativity with Dan Sasaki’s skilled drumming complementing the quivering cello prowess that bridges classical ideas with highly adventurous playing.
In the middle, the dense demeanor of “Aloft” seems like it could pair well with a stoner rock evening thanks to its high use of the fuzz pedal, while “The Waves And What’s Under” embraces a minimal appeal with subtle but effective drumming.
The best track, “Moss On Rock” resides late in the listen, and recruits Greg Kelley on trumpet and Dave Abramson on drums and percussion for the meticulous texturing that’s quite noisy but still somehow harmonic in its own inimitable gestures. “We Miss You And Wish You Well” exits the listen, pairing strings and drums in a gentle, stirring conclusion to a very iconoclastic body of work.
A very unassuming listen, High And Low demonstrates that Goldston’s craft can often be vulnerable, just as it can be melodic, albeit in fleeting waves, and the short list of contributors certainly adds much more intrigue thanks to the rare beauty we can all appreciate, not to mention an experimental folk template that few others could replicate.
