The very first online audio that I purchased was Skimskitta by Mira Calix. I found out about Mira Calix through a feature on CBC Radio 3 (click on the Mira Calix link on the Flash-enabled page). The sounds I heard there were intriguing as well as her process of creating ambient musical soundscapes with bits of sound from nature as well as electronic sounds. So I listened to the excerpts many times and kept my eyes open for any CDs. Eventually I found some, but they were a bit expensive. Then I found Bleep, which is Warp Records online digital music store. I was able to listen to all of the tracks on Skimskitta and I bought and downloaded the tracks.
It’s hard to describe what she creates. It’s ambient and rhythmic and I think that much of it works on a subconscious level. I have to be in a fairly receptive mood, but every time I listen I hear more. My absolute favourite listen to again and again and again track is I May Be Over There (But My Heart is Over Here). (If you have the Flash plugin installed you can listen to the track through an embedded player by clicking on the name of the track.) The emotion and progression of the sound is breathtaking. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s as if she reached into my heart, transcribed the notes within and then constructed the sound so that it resonates in my soul.
technorati tags: miracalix, review, music, skimskitta