AMOROSA SENSITIVA | VINYL RECORD (LP)

It has all the music I like in it was Blue Tapes' response to Benjamin Finger's initial submission of Amorosa Sensitiva. That music is cloud-rolled drones and sun-speckled synths; it is low tides of distant cello, ebbing into view; it is tiny hits of percussion clustering protectively around sustained piano patterns; it is techno slowed down and stretched out and reconfigured as free jazz; it is cascades of notes that tilt your head back and lift your legs into the air and scroll around you; it is snatches of human conversation rendered as abstract song textures, which lends a hallucinatory logic to the LP's narrative. Since 2009, Finger has conjured half a dozen albums of meditative, atmospheric compositions that draw from multiple sources but retain a very natural and intuitive musicianship - one that prevents the juxtaposed sounds from sounding patchwork or contrary. Amorosa Sensitiva isn't just stylistically varied, though; it has a wide emotional palette, as comfortable exhibiting ferocity as bliss. Benjamin Finger is influenced by Alice Coltrane, Slayer, Spacemen 3, Arthur Russell, Butthole Surfers, Slint, Loop, Lee Scratch Perry, Charles Mingus, Disco Inferno, Sun Ra, Eric Dolphy, Broadcast, Labradford, Laurie Anderson, Flying Lotus, Pharaoh Sanders, Fugazi, Panda Bear, Suicide, Flying Saucer Attack, The Frogs, Frank Zappa, early Jane's Addiction, Bardo Pond, David Bowie, Autechre, Philippe Sarde, George Michael, Frederic Chopin, Terry Riley, Gescom, John Zorn, Omar-S, Morton Feldman, Mr. Bungle, Talk Talk, Vincent Gallo, Gas, Drexciya, Laurel Halo, Actress, Oneohtrix Point Never, Francois Truffaut, Hal Ashby, Louis Malle, John Cassavetes, Woody Allen, Ettore Scola, Julio Medem, Jacques Audiard, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Paul Thomas Anderson, Roman Polanski, and early Jim Jarmusch films. Amorosa Sensitiva was mastered by James Plotkin (Khanate, Scorn, Nadja, Sunn O)))). Features Are Watle on saxophone (Whirlbrainpoolin) and additional guitar (Bum Finger Notes) and the looped voice of Inga-Lill Farstad (Headspincrawl and Darnskullgreyness). In terms of both packaging and sound, this LP forms a natural counterpart to X-Ray's fourth edition, Piano Mating by the legendary Mats Gustafsson, which is forthcoming at the time of this release. LP pressed on frosted clear 180-gram vinyl; housed in screenprinted PVC wallet; includes download code.