Guitarist Mark Shippy and violinist Alex Cunningham are readying the release of their debut collaborative effort, Ghost Note, due out June 4th via the Iowa-based label, Personal Archives. Representing two generations of experimental music practice, Shippy is known for his work in U.S. Maple, while Cunningham has risen to prominence working as a duo with claire rousay, as well as in the Vernacular String Trio. Together, the two take an improvisational approach on their upcoming four-track LP/digital release to create music capable of moving between spacious ambiance and ferocious intensity.
On “Clear Walkway,” this leads to explosive and noisy results. The two players seem to conjure their frenzied playing from alternate corners with guitar and violin panned to the right and left channels. Eventually, though, these two worlds of sound come into a responsive resonance, as guitar and violin reflect and refract off each other in an echoing approach. As this interaction heats up, the two instruments explode into whirling frequencies of sound. Totaling in its effect, “Clear Walkway” finishes by cohering into a blinding light mind-clearing sound.
