Hello everyone and welcome to our blog. Today we share the talents of US artist Concetta Abbate . The follow-up to the critically acclaimed Mirror Touch, a solo five-string violin work called “ Laminaria”, a 13-song album released on 25th October. on this project, the artist embarks on, another synesthetic endeavor: converting a cinematic genre, such as folk horror, to music. Inspired by the purpose of kelp he learned that The Latin term for kelp, a plant used medicinally to induce labor for delivery or abortion, inspired him to think of the title. Abbate was fascinated by this plant. A plant that had the potential to be so potent that it could literally mean the difference between life and death. Let’s dive into it
The title track is called “The Devil’s Apron”. The song opens with mouth percussions and violin sounds that slip in and out. The sound sounds like a woman giving birth which takes us back to the kelp plant and how it’s used during delivery. This song opens the album in a classy way
Next is the song “Salted Shroud” The song opens with sharp and precise violin sounds, moving in and out. A little gong sound and an ethereal sound are added. The vocals on this song are crisp and flawless and it is so satisfying to hear
“Akali halo” is the next song on the record. The piano notes are lonely and so are beautiful. The violin that sets in is so classy and it was a very emotive performance. Listening to the song you’d realize that the instrumentation does not overshadow each other. You can pick apart the instruments individually even if you don’t have an ear for music and those harmonies were absolute perfection
“The Search” is the next song that follows. The song opens with an operatic violin. The performance speaks to even a layman even though it’s avant-garde. As the song progresses, it changes and undergoes a metamorphosis which is a lovely treat for listeners
Up next is the song “Shards of Glass”. The opening of this is nothing short of amazing, my goodness! This vocalization was just amazing. Soon after is a short vocal performance which is followed by this incredible drum solo. This drum beat deserves a standing ovation and an encore. It was so so amazing. Toward the end of the song, the song changes again. This song will keep you on your toes!!
Next is “incantation”: this song has a dark edge right from the start and we have these female voices repeating the same words over and over like an incantation. There are some violin sounds that are brief and end the song
Up next we have the song “Symbology”. The song opens with clap-like sounds with an eerie sound in the background which soon booms in the song. The clapping seemed to match the beat of the violin which was incredible
Next is the song “Death of a witch”. The song opens with a beautiful stringed instrument. The song builds and builds and becomes more dramatic. There was an angelic vocal performance that increased the beautiful song to an end
“Ancient songs” is what the next song is called. Soft piano notes greet you when the song begins. Every note is played with such passion and dedication. This song is the love child of whoever played it. It’s so emotive and captivating as hell
“Ascent” is the song that is up next. The song is mysterious and very edgy but you can’t look away or turn away from it. The Melodies and the harmonies were so in sync making the perfect song for listeners to enjoy
The second to last song is called “The Nameless”. The song opens with these glacial piano sounds. The vocals will comfort you somehow, maybe it’s the way they sang that was so beautiful and an undeniable star power
The last song is called “Tentacles”. The song starts with these eerie sounds that are chilling and like something ripped out of a horror flick. You know, this sounds like the soundtrack over a certain part of a horror flick where the victim thinks they have evaded their captors then suddenly they see that the person is right behind them. This song ends this glorious album
Abbate has a natural ability and connection to music because he can picture it. I wonder how he will visualize this album because it is very very good. This artist has made a body of work that Abbate should be proud of. Abbate is a musical genius and I look forward to hearing about his upcoming projects
Stream the “Laminaria (a folk horror chamber music suite” on Spotify
Follow Concetta Abbate here for more information
