R&D - I'll Send You A Sign (Ruination)

The Slow Music Movement
Jul 14
2 min read

*** This blog post first appeared in TSMM's July 13th Newsletter, where you can get all the tips (and more) first ***

The cover for R&D's, I'll Send You A Sign album on Ruination records. It shows one large and one small, pale yellow abstract crown patterns on a brown background. The crown is made of wavy lines, each with three dots on it. No text. Simple yet artistic design.

This album is perfect start of the day music, just as well really as I’m writing about it at 5.45am. Ruination are a cool label from New York who champion artists throwing spanners in the Americana continuum and putting the “alt” into indie pop and rock, but even I was surprised when I hit play on this one, to be met with a meandering new age electroacoustic soundscape.

R&D are Rebecca El-Saleh on harp and Dan Knishkowy, better known for his work as Adeline Hotel, on guitar. The project has its foundation in several months of improvised sessions, the music blossoming from flowing conversations into instrumental explorations of their feelings and, if the vibe is anything to go by, more universal matters.

The shows R&D, Rebecca El-Saleh on the left and Dan Knishkowy (aka Adeline Hotel) on the right. The picture is slightly blurred and they stand against a green background, looking directly at the camera. The mood is soft and contemplative.

The free flowing sessions were inspired by some of El-Saleh’s poetry, and with that sort of catalyst, coupled with the fact that the recording was recorded and mixed in two days there is a serious cosmic drift to the album; it seems there’s something to be said for trusting your instincts. The creative symbiosis is real, resulting in a beautiful free flowing ambient transmission, the notes hanging in the air well beyond their usual timespan, creating a wellness feedback loop that the duo obviously revelled in. The instruments variously take turns setting scenes, sometimes intertwining for the greater good, but never losing sight of their higher purpose.

Refreshingly for such a new age aligned project there is also a moment when the clouds roll in, momentarily interrupting the warmth, but let’s face it even Buddhist monks are probably getting a bit angsty these days. Although “Shadow’s Shadow” is subtly hinted at via some of the earlier tracks slightly more corporal lower frequencies, and teased in the odd edgy moment in the preceding “When Time Means Nothing”, it still comes as something of a surprise, possibly a shock depending on how relaxed you were. Its tension is sustained by a murky, rumbling drone that is egged on by instruments being occasionaly struck rather than stroked, the stringed instruments less optimistic but resiliently twinkling over the top to compensate. And then it’s over, the cosmic power comes back on, the shadows melt away and the album is back on its blissful course until the end. Lovely stuff.