Laura Cannell - Beneath Swooping Talons (2015)

With deconstructed bow and the extraordinary sound of double recorder, Beneath Swooping Talons has grown out of unearthed fragments that became improvised pieces, then immediately recorded in single takes. Tapping the potent rural landscape and long-dormant musical modes, this album encompasses both wild animal calls and long forgotten liturgical chords, which drawn through Laura's music seem to originate from the same, ahistorical place. With a background in traditional, early and experimental music, she creates a solitary minimalist chamber music, where one player makes all the harmonies. Based in rural East Anglia, Laura Cannell's work draws on the emotional influences of the landscape and the sometimes dissonant chords of early and medieval music. Since founding and touring with duo Horses Brawl a decade ago, Laura has established her practice as a solo musician with recorder and fiddle her primary instruments. Her first album Quick Sparrows over the Black Earth found an audience keen for more, and she has followed the release with a UK wide touring schedule that has included Royal Festival Hall, Supernormal Festival, Tusk Festival, The Cube Bristol, Café Oto, Cathedrals, churches and National Trust castles as well as interviews and airplay on BBC 6MUSIC, NTS Radio and many others.