Dao Strom - Tender Revolutions (Antiquated Future & Beacon Sound)

The Slow Music Movement
Sep 13
2 min read

The cover for Dao Strom's, Tender Revolutions album, showing a black and white forest scene with twisted tree branhes, with cut and collaged images of Strom standing or reclining. There is a large, upside down yellow triangle outline in the centre. Calm, mystical mood.

Dao Strom is an intriguing artist that spans disciplines and finds synergy between poetry, music, field recordings and visual art. Originally born in Vietnam, she set sail at an early age for California, and I guess that the splintered natured of her artistry reflects that multi-faceted identity, and her fusion sound an understandable need to try and unite those diverse roots, although admittedly psychology is not my strong point.

She certainly has the tools to make sense of it all, taking care of vocals, guitars, piano/keys, synths, samples on her new album, but also calling in the favours with various, well judged spoken vocal cameos and some assistance on violin and percussion where needed from her West Coast crew.

Dao Strom's reflection in a weathered mirror shows her body in a white dress taking a selfie. There's a corrugated metal background behind the mirror. Mysterious mood.

The album kicks off with four variations of "tender" and let's face it the world needs all the tenderness it can get, and the feeling is worth repeating. "Tender variation i" uses a recorded conversation, ably accompanied by suitably gentle, minimal piano before evolving into translucent song and the softest of violin caresses. The conversation continues in Vietnamese, French and translated English in "variation ii" peppered with piano that falls like the first spots of rain on the overlapping vocals. "Variation iii" takes a piano initiated ambient course, the electronics sounding like braking traffic noise, the spoken discussion still there but less prominently, and "iv" evolves into a twinkling classical infused ambient soundscape the vocals becoming gradually distant as it progresses out of respect for the impressive music.

Next up is a surprising take on Bowie's, "China Girl", a gentle singer songwriter morphing into howling post-rock version of the now somewhat dated 80's pop classic. "Take" is arguably the album's standout tune - a low gravity, sci-fi sounding, ambient pop gem with another post rock flourish. But hold tight for the future ambient folk of "owe own", the poignant, "how many wars" and the new age of new age transmission, "[hailing tender] which oozes positive vibes and is a lovely way to round off this diverse and delightful album.

Oh yeah, if you're a collector of things then you can pick up a tidy package of the four books, vinyl and a signed print from either of the labels who teamed up for this release - Antiquated Future or Beacon Sound's Bandcamp, it looks like a beautiful edition.