Lia Kohl, Zander Raymond - In Transit (2025) [Hi-Res]

Chicago duo Lia Kohl and Zander Raymond combine their skills on 'IN TRANSIT' using various field recordings of busses, trains and taxis to undergird their dreamy electroacoustic melancholia. RIYL Perila, Lisa Lerkenfeldt, claire rousay. There's something immediately affecting about 'IN TRANSIT'. We're all familiar with the omnipresent hum of roads and railways, and contextualized like this, juxtaposed with busker-like sounds or swelling muzak loops, Moon Glyph label-mates Kohl and Raymond evoke an almost hauntological sense of longing. The duo's synthwork here is somewhat secondary, it's present but just buoys the compositions without getting in the way of the other elements. It's Kohl's cello and Raymond's accordion, both impacting a surprisingly transportive effect alongside the hissing pneumatic doors and roaring engines, that provide the real focus. On the brilliant 'It's lily season', a shrill soprano voice echoes in the distance, and the duo's blurry synths provide the harmonic accompaniment. An out-of-step drum machine skips to the side, and Kohl and Raymond usher us inside the vehicle, where the music dims until it's out of earshot. And their instruments are grated into fine granules on 'Woven things rest', stuttering and hiccuping next to ping-ponging percussion before the lullaby-like finale 'Not in the hand' lulls us to sleep.

Tracklist:
1-1 Lia Kohl;Zander Raymond - This was in the [3:16]
1-2 Lia Kohl;Zander Raymond - In the taxi [5:03]
1-3 Lia Kohl;Zander Raymond - It's lily season [3:52]
1-4 Lia Kohl;Zander Raymond - What they said about [3:59]
1-5 Lia Kohl;Zander Raymond - A duck with green feet [3:23]
1-6 Lia Kohl;Zander Raymond - Later [3:32]
1-7 Lia Kohl;Zander Raymond - Woven things rest [3:05]
1-8 Lia Kohl;Zander Raymond - Not in the hand [6:19]