Kali Malone’s albums move at a glacial pace. You can discover entire worlds in her drones, lose yourself in the spaces in between. On new album Burning Song, Malone’s pieces are much shorter than on her prior albums, but the emotional tones are still there, ripe for exploration.
American-born but based in Stockholm, Malone’s compositions employ elaborate tuning systems to create minimalist work. On Burning Song, Malone crafted her drones on the pipe organ in Thomaskirche, a Lutheran church in Leipzig. This is the same church where J.S. Bach spent his final years working as the music director. Though Malone’s work sounds nothing like Bach’s, there is a resonance, as if centuries of history and the great composer’s essence somehow hangs over this collection of seven tracks. The maestro himself is buried under the altar where Malone recorded the album.
Malone isn’t alone on Burning Song. Her husband, Stephen O’Malley of Sunn O))), adds bowed acoustic guitar while Lucy Railton joins them on cello. Though Malone’s music is nowhere near as doomy as O’Malley’s, a somber heaviness permeates the work of both artists.
The album opens with “Grieving Figure,” a piece that drifts in like fog over the ocean. It fits with the monochromatic album cover, which features Malone on a beach, tide flowing in, while a fire burns in front of her. The same imagery of ocean and fire are on display in the video for “Heavy with Fruit,” the album’s penultimate track. Like the tide, Malone’s music drifts, carrying with it whatever unexamined emotions we bring to the experience. There is a heavy sense of drama at play here, one that feels unshakable and melancholy.
The shorter pieces on Burning Song allow for swifter tonal and mood changes than on Malone’s previous records. The microtonal drones of her older material demand a degree of attention that is increasingly difficult to sustain in a world of YouTube Shorts and flashing lights. These more compact pieces will still feel long to those more familiar with popular music but could serve as an excellent entry point into the world of Kali Malone.
The pleasures of Burning Song may not be apparent on the first listen. And this is not the type of music you put on in the background. It’s meditative and demands your attention. Initially, the seven tracks may seem like a monolithic wash of sound. But listen closely and there is a bounty of rewards for those who pay attention.
