Images courtesy of Root Strata
Ian introduced me to Charalambides many years ago. I never got into their seemingly endless supply of CD-r releases, but I fell for their Siltbreeze and Kranky releases like Houston, Unknown Spin, Joy Shapes and A Vintage Burden. I also followed the solo recordings of Tom Carter and Christina Carter, snapping up the former’s Glyph, Sun Swallower, Root King and the latter’s splits with Black Forest Black Sea and Pocahaunted, as well as her stunning 2005 CD-r (released on her own Many Breaths label) Lace Heart.
Aquarius Records writes, “…It was one of the recordings in Christina Carter’s extensive catalogue that immediately stood out to her fans and became a benchmark for albums that followed. These spectral avant-folk numbers managed a teary-eyed, nocturnal atmosphere through Spartan arrangements for just guitar and voice. Her guitar quietly meanders along simple strumming that may only alternate between just a few chords throughout each of the tracks, peppered with occasional overdubs of distant, shimmering swells of reverberation; and the album drifts in and out of dreamstates through the hypnotic repetitions of her slowly chiming guitar. Her earthen voice occasionally rises out of her arrangements as a beautiful counterpoint, but more often than not her monophonic cooing nestles into the warmth of the guitar as a perfect compliment to those elliptical plucks and strums.
Jefre Cantu’s amazing Root Strata label recently re-issued the album as a double vinyl set with three sides of music and one of Christina’s drawings etched onto he fourth side. Beautiful red and maroon splattered vinyl, limited to 500 copies. According to the label’s website, it has already gone out-of-print.
Christina Carter
Lace Heart
MegaUpload DL Link
Tracklist:
01. Dream Long
02. I Am Seen
03. To Surrender
04. Walking On The Sand
05. Intentions
06. Long Last Breaths
