Hyaline

Hyaline is the full-length debut of Maria BC, a singer, multi-instrumentalist, and recordist who introduced their melancholy, atmospheric song constructions on the EP Devils Rain a year prior. Using instruments like electric guitar, organ, and percussion as well as phone recordings, several years worth of collected audio samples, and judiciously employed electronic manipulation, Hyaline expands upon the scope of the EP, in terms of length, instrumentation, and geography -- Devils Rain was recorded in a single room, whereas Hyaline made use of an entire apartment as well as the samples and field recordings. First track "No Reason" begins with the hum of electronic amplification and the sound of a foghorn before a strummed electric guitar enters on a repeated chord in tune with the pitch of the horn. The guitar soon introduces a chord progression thats topped off by the classically trained mezzo-sopranos lucid, ethereal vocals: "Getting up too fast/In a moving crowd/Morning breaks like bottles on the ground." The songs brief, repeated musical phrases are a trait of much of the album, with later-appearing incarnations picking up detailing like feedback, extra layers of vocals, or quickly dissipating percussion. "April" maintains Hyalines restrained tone with a syncopated five-note guitar pattern and more light-as-air vocals, this time more fully harmonized, with occasional staggered and overlapping tracks. The song also plays with guitar harmonics and clocklike percussion while adding components like piano and bass. Construction-type noise opens "ROF" ("Rain of feathers"), while the folkier "Rerun" relies on acoustic guitar and layers of vocals including rhythmic breathing. Elsewhere, "Betelguese" is the closest thing to a gloomy indie rock entry. Sung from the perspective of an adult about to repeat a traumatizing moment from their own childhood, its lyrics are representative of an album inspired by the literary archetypes of the dreamer and the more-present watcher. Cerebral, poetic, and somber throughout its 11 tracks, Hyaline paints its scenes with a mix of brushes and a palette of faded blues and grays. ~ Marcy Donelson