«Vanish» completes a trilogy of solo projects of Australian, Berlin-based experimental guitarist Julia Reidy, following «brace, brace» (Slip, 2019) and «In Real Life» (Black Truffle, 2019), all mixed and mastered by fellow Australian drummer and sound artist Joe Talia. «Vanish» was recorded at Holding Pattern, Berlin, in June 2020

The atmosphere of «Vanish» is less anxious and unsettling as of the preceding volumes. On the first piece, «Clairvoyant» she creates nuanced layers of resonant and fuzzy guitar lines, blended with found sounds, and her auto-tuned voice. Its reserved dramatic narrative, the insistent search for richer and sometimes even noisier timbres, and the ebb and flow cycles of this piece call for contemplation and reflection, not only about this lingering, enigmatic qualities of this soundscape but about the current, strange times. At times, this mysterious atmosphere, build on repetitive patterns, brings to mind the work of American guitarist Steve Tibbets.

The second piece, «Oh Boy», is a delicate, atmospheric dreamscape, intensified by the rich layers of ethereal and distant, auto-tuned recitation of Reidy, effects-laden guitar, and the vintage and alien synth sounds. Again, the slow pace of this piece and its highly resonant atmosphere call for reflection, but somehow this time this electro-acoustic, lonesome meditation sounds more emotional and fragile than «Clairvoyant».

An impressive gem and a guaranteed cure for these times.

Eyal Hareuveni

Julia Reidy (12-string g, harm.synth, v)

Julia Reidy: Clairvoyant from Editions Mego on Vimeo.