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Carla Bozulich, "Evangelista"
On her new album, Carla Bozulich uses her voice, strings, guitars, and well-contained distorted elements to create a rich recording full of dark lyrical imagery that haunts well after its flashes of tenderness have faded.
Bookending the album are two versions of the title track. "Evangelista I" opens ominously with scratchy violins and rattling knocks, forming dense textural layers that nonetheless remain distinct. Bozulich uses her voice in a combination of howling supplications and breathy exhalations, pushing massive quantities of air and growling all over her range. Droning feedback and strings define the space without ever succumbing to chaos.
Quieter and gentler is "Steal Away," a take on a traditional arrangement. Despite the intimacy of her voice and a little guitar, distortion rules "How to Survive Being Hit by Lightning." A simple drum is buried deep within the mix and the melody grows in prominence as the song progresses, pushing the distortion to the background. A skipping guitar ushers in the ending. The cover of Low’s "Pissing" uses organ as the main backing instrument, culminating in a sweltering rush that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. She uses great layering of vocals that are very effective in making this version of the song unique.
A few of the tracks rely a little too heavily on atmosphere and don’t quite fulfil their potential. Most of the songs have such similar compositional elements that the abstractions like "Sleeps Inside" and "Nels’ Box" aren’t so riveting as some of the others. The album closes with "Evangelista II," revisiting similar themes as the opener, but this one’s a more sober, subdued affair, a much-needed relief from some of the white-knuckle flights that come earlier. In all of the mighty peaks to be found here, Bozulich commands attention with the strength and versatility of her voice, assailing the ears with beseeching wails and incantations that inspire dark devotion.
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