Trace

Cellist Alison Chesleys solo work as Helen Money has become increasingly cinematic, taking advantage of digital multi-track recording to construct dense, sometimes overwhelming waves of sound. Producer and composer Will Thomas (Dive Index, Plumbline) helped shape Become Zero (2016) and Atomic (2020), and 2023s Trace is credited as a full collaboration between the two artists. The album feels a bit less rock-informed than previous Money releases, with no thundering drums and less metallic distortion present, and more pieces that could be described as dark ambient or electro-acoustic. "Thieves" fashions rhythmic loops out of Chesleys cello playing and propels forward with flickering beats, resembling a sort of post-industrial techno interpretation of her sound. "Half Asleep" is a more solemn, piano-driven piece that floats delicately like a leaf on a pond, but carries a tense, foreboding air. The storm-like "Boulevard in Silence" is much heavier and more frightening, and "Tilt" goes further, with noisier bursts and a forceful stomp underneath blown-out feedback eruptions. "Trace" layers stirring string patterns, subtly increasing the pressure with brittle, rumbling static. "She Never Suspected" is a vibrating drone that expands outward with each breath until it floats freely in space. "Glass Shattered" is dissonant and hair-raising without being the harshest track on the album, and the record dissolves into darkness with "The Wheel," which feels like its trying its best to overcome fear and put tragedy behind it. Trace seems to tap into some different emotional frequencies than other Helen Money albums, balancing subtler and more atmospheric movements with more direct expressions, but its just as captivating and easy to recommend as her other releases. ~ Paul Simpson