Leya is a New York duo consisting of harpist Marilu Donovan and violinist Adam Markiewicz, who seem to occupy a space roughly equidistant from ambient music, avant-garde composition, and drone-based electronica. . They soundtracked (and starred in) a pornographic film directed by rapper Brooke Candy. They have collaborated on catwalk shows for fashion designers such as Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, Acne Studios, and Hood by Air. They have worked with dozens of musicians at the border of experimental pop and the avant-garde, including Christina Vanzeau and members of Coil.
“I Forget Everything'' will be his first release since 2022's “Eyeline.'' This work features like-minded maverick actresses Claire Roset and Julie Byrne, with the addition of a string section and electronics. This removes such embellishments and concentrates on Leya's sinister core element: multi-tracked violins wrapped in spectral reverb. Ghostly vocals. Arpeggios played on a harp always sound out of tune. In the corners, those arpeggios tumble down like rain. On “Fake,” that vamp is slow and deliberate, making every chord change sound like a gigantic feat.
Leya's sound is characterized by Markiewicz's voice. He sings in an androgynous, yawning whisper, and his diction is so slurred that he begins to resemble Liz Fraser of the Cocteau Twins. At times, on the eerie, droning “Baited,” he sounds like a male voice in a Gregorian choir, but more often he sounds like a female opera singer moving from contralto to mezzo-soprano range. Most surprising is “Weaving,” which sounds like a minor-key gothic hymn from another dimension. The whole thing has an eerie, unsettling effect, sounding like music from 300 years ago and somewhere in the distant future.
It's coming out this month too
Playlists of “relaxing” piano music are hugely popular, but few are as compelling as Piano1, a compilation of Section 1 records featuring contemporary composers. Enthusiastic improvisation by Ichiko Aoba and Alan Wiffels. Latest LP gina perkinsDam Against the Spring Tide (Relative Pitch) finds her playing the harp along with an unconventional ensemble, but the highlight is the super-spiky and frankly terrifying first half. Oliver Johnson of Vienna, aka durian conceptis best known for his rather stately rave music with Ninja Tune, but his latest project Music From a Room Full of Synths (-OUS Records) brings him into the real-life sonic playground of the Swiss Museum of Electronic Musical Instruments. Let loose. There he uses a variety of archival analogue synths to create a wide variety of Wendy Carlos-style miniatures.
