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ESSENTIAL NEW MUSIC

Essential New Music: House And Land’s “House And Land”

The late Tony Conrad grew up trying to learn classical music while listening to bluegrass on the radio. These elements fed into associations with La Monte Young and the Velvet Underground that changed the face of music, which in turn are as much a part of American musical history as the Carter Family or Harry Smith’s Anthology Of American Folk Music. Guitarist Sarah Louise Henson and banjo/fiddle player Sally Anne Morgan understand how this all fits together with their unique debut, House And Land. They successfully play up the drone elements in the 10 Appalachian ballads and hymns, but it’s their singing that really makes the connections between traditionally inherited and rigorously studied microtonality. Hard, clear and carefully ornamented, their harmonies feel as ancient as the hills and as immediate as the wind hitting your face.

—Bill Meyer