To listen to Zomes is to know calm. For a time, Zomes had been the solo project of Lungfish's Asa Osborne, in which Osborne traded in the guitar for an electric organ, a drum machine and simplicity rooted in repetition and patience. In recent years, Hanna Olivegren has elevated Zomes with her (often) wordless vocals — especially on the Baltimore duo's recent album, Near Unison, which is truly a singular and soulful work of drone.
While Olivegren doesn't sing in "Ruminants," her wandering melodies are still felt in the tune's airy whispers. Multimedia artist Shannon Collis directs this satisfyingly soothing video, in the process truly visualizing the quiet, ever-shifting layers of sound. In fact, as an assistant professor of art at the University of Maryland, Collis explores the physicality of sound in her work, particularly in experimental film and music. Here, shapes don't so much bleed into each other as they glide into abstract dunes, rivers and mountains.
Near Unison is out now, available from Dischord and Bandcamp.
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