Four/Ten Media
New York-based experimentalist, Lesley Flanigan, has shared an engrossingly understated video capturing a 20-minute live performance of the title track of her new album, Hedera. It begins with a clicky, almost woody synth texture that grows into something more corrosive and friction-heavy over time, evolving with a sonorous vocal accompaniment that slowly explores a series of harmonies and melodic gestures. It is simultaneously evocative of choral music and 70s experimental German rock, and the spacious, light and shadow-focused art direction in the Four/Ten Media–produced video evocatively brings the work to life spatially."I wanted a simple video for Hedera, a 'you're seeing it as it is' kind of look," said Flanigan to THUMP via email. "All the vocals on the piece are performed live, and I liked the idea of showing that building and layering process in action, a transparency that is important to my other work with speaker feedback, too."Flanigan added: "Of all my work, this piece is the most minimal in terms of physical performance: I am singing and mixing a lot, so I felt the most important variable [for the video] was finding the right space. We ended up shooting it at one of my favorite performance spaces, the Ice Box at Crane Arts in Philadelphia. The space is massive and raw, which allowed me to focus on the simplicity of what I do in my normal performances. The lighting is the only thing that changes, moving through the sections of the piece."Hedera is out now via Physical Editions, and is available for purchase from the artist's Bandcamp.Follow Alexander on Twitter.