AMN Reviews: Jo Quail – Invocation / Supplication (2023; By Norse Music)

Finding herself with time during the early pandemic, cellist Jo Quail wrote two EP-length vocal-oriented suites in a chamber rock style. The first, Invocation features the voice of Maria Franz, as well as bass, percussion, French horn, trombone, Quail’s cello, and a choir. Notably, the choir could not gather, so they recorded syllables on their phones and sent these parts to Quail who arranged them into an ethereal presence on these pieces.

Macha opens Invocation with a barely contained power. It is based around a driving rhythm, heavy cello riffs, and Franz’s wailing and mostly wordless vocals. An amalgam of primitive emotions through the lens of modern composition, the track sets a high-water mark for what follows.

Indeed, Willow of All and Baroscyre do not even attempt to match their predecessor’s raw energy, and instead are introspective and haunting takes. They are too weird to be classical and too active to be ambient, though the latter exhibits a few melodic and textural similarities to parts of Philip Glass’s Koyaanisqatsi before briefly reprising the ritualistic cadences of the opener.

Supplication is a more intimate affair, featuring only Quail, vocalist Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari, and Koen Kaptjn on trombone. Quail also put a fair amount of effort into sound design, giving parts of these recordings booming percussion and subtle processing. Unlike Franz’s focus on building atmosphere, Fornasari uses words and (as expected given the lineup) sings with little accompaniment.

Still, the mysterious and spiritual nature of Quail’s writing remains. The three pieces on Supplication are slow-moving and chamber-oriented. Fornasari plays a large role on The Calling and Kyralaste, while Maestoso is mainly instrumental with Fornasari integrated as if he were another instrument.

The music of Jo Quail is absolutely top notch. She has an elusive “it” factor such that you find yourself drawn to her recordings on a deeper level. Needless to say, Invocation and Supplication are both highly recommended.