Kali Malone

Last updated

Kali Malone
Also known asMedicine Bow
Born1994
Colorado, U.S. [1]
Origin Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Composer
  • musician
Instrument(s)
Years active2014–present
Labels
  • XKatedral
  • Bleak Environment
  • Hallow Ground
  • iDEAL Recordings
  • Portraits GRM
  • Ideologic Organ
Spouse(s)
(m. 2023)
Website kalimalone.com

Kali Malone (born 1994) is an American composer and organist based in Stockholm. Her works implement unique tuning systems in minimalist form for analog and digital synthesis often combined with acoustic instrumentation. [5] [6] [7]

Contents

Early life

Malone was raised in Denver, Colorado. She moved to Western Massachusetts to study music, but relocated to Stockholm in 2012 after befriending the Swedish avant-garde composer Ellen Arkbro. She studied electroacoustic composition at the Royal College of Music, Stockholm. [5] [3]

Career

In 2016 she co-founded the record label and concert series XKatedral, together with Maria W Horn, in Stockholm.

In 2019, she released The Sacrificial Code, featuring nearly two hours of pipe organ compositions, through iDEAL Recordings. The album appeared on year-end lists by Pitchfork [8] and The Wire , [9] and was awarded "2019 Album of the Year" by Boomkat. [10]

In 2022, she released Living Torch, a 33-minute piece presented in two movements. It was commissioned by the Groupe de Recherches Musicales (GRM) for its loudspeaker orchestra, the Acousmonium. [11] Jettisoning Malone's signature pipe organ, it features a mélange of acoustic and electronic instruments including the trombone and bass clarinet. [12] It was composed by Malone in 11-odd limit just intonation. The trombone and bass clarinet were recorded in meticulous individual parts to match each computer-generated sound wave. It was assembled by Malone with heavily textured drones as well as the boîte à bourdon and sounds generated by the ARP 2500 synthesizer owned by Éliane Radigue. [11] Malone composed and produced the album at the GRM in Paris between 2020 and 2021. [13] It is the first collaboration between the GRM and its new label partner Shelter Press, continuing the Portraits GRM record series founded by Peter Rehberg of Editions MEGO. [14] The album premiered at the GRM in October 2021, three months after Rehberg's death, [11] and was released by Portraits GRM on July 7, 2022.

In 2023, she released Does Spring Hide Its Joy, a collaboration with Sunn O))) guitarist Stephen O'Malley and British cellist Lucy Railton. It was composed and recorded between March and May 2020 in the empty concert halls of Berlin Funkhaus and MONOM during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Malone plays tuned sine wave oscillators on the album, joined by O'Malley's electric guitar and Railton's cello. [15] The album consists of an hour-long composition presented in three versions, each a minor variation on the titular piece. [2] [16] [17] It was released through O'Malley's Ideologic Organ label on January 20, 2023. [15]

On May 14, 2023, deeming Malone's music "profanatory", activists from the French integralist movement Civitas forced the cancellation of one of her and O'Malley's concerts at the Saint-Cornély church in Carnac, Brittany, after they blocked the entrance of the church. [18] [19]

Personal life

Malone is married to Sunn O))) guitarist Stephen O'Malley, which they announced on Instagram in July 2023. [20] [21] [22]

Discography

Studio albums

TitleDetails
Velocity of Sleep
  • Released: August 25, 2017
  • Label: XKatedral, Bleak Environment
Cast of Mind
  • Released: May 8, 2018
  • Label: Hallow Ground
The Sacrificial Code
  • Released: June 27, 2019
  • Label: iDEAL Recordings
Living Torch
  • Released: July 7, 2022
  • Label: Portraits GRM
Does Spring Hide Its Joy
(with Stephen O'Malley and Lucy Railton)
  • Released: January 20, 2023
  • Label: Ideologic Organ
All Life Long
  • Released: February 9, 2024
  • Label: Ideologic Organ

Compilation albums

TitleDetails
XKatedral Volume III
(with Caterina Barbieri & Ellen Arkbro)
  • Released: October 6, 2017
  • Label: XKatedral
Studies for Organ (Rehearsal Demo Tape)
  • Released: May 1, 2020
  • Label: Self-released

EPs

TitleDetails
Tragic Chorus
  • Released: March 12, 2016
  • Label: XKatedral, Bleak Environment
Black Gate
  • Released: December 21, 2016
  • Label: Total Black
Organ Dirges 2016–2017
  • Released: March 15, 2018
  • Label: Ascetic House
The Torrid Eye
(with Acronym)
  • Released: January 14, 2019
  • Label: Stilla Ton

Other

With Morbida

TitleDetails
Morbida / Medicine Bow
  • Released: November 2014
  • Label: Oma333

With Taxi Taxi

TitleDetails
Floating Forever
  • Released: December 3, 2014
  • Label: Delicious Demon Records

With Hästköttskandalen

TitleDetails
Spacegirls
  • Released: February 16, 2015
  • Label: Fylkingen Records

With Swap Babies

TitleDetails
Bloody from Digging
  • Released: June 4, 2015
  • Label: XKatedral, Delicious Demon Records

With Sorrowing Christ

TitleDetails
Sorrowing Christ
  • Released: August 31, 2016
  • Label: Ascetic House

With Golden Offence Orchestra

TitleDetails
Ode to Pauline Oliveros
  • Released: August 23, 2017
  • Label: XKatedral

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunn O)))</span> American drone metal band

Sunn O))) is an American drone metal band formed in 1998 in Seattle, Washington. The band is known for their distinctive visual style and slow, heavy sound, which blends diverse genres including doom metal, drone, black metal, dark ambient, and noise rock, as well as for their extremely loud live performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Rehberg</span> British musician and composer (1968–2021)

Peter Rehberg, also known as Pita, was a British-Austrian composer of electronic audio works. He was the head of Editions Mego, which he founded in 2006 as a successor to Mego.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khanate (band)</span> American metal band

Khanate is an American drone doom supergroup that brought together James Plotkin and Alan Dubin, two members of the defunct band OLD, as well as Tim Wyskida of Blind Idiot God and Manbyrd and Stephen O'Malley of Burning Witch and Sunn O))).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oren Ambarchi</span> Australian musician

Oren Ambarchi is an Australian musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays mainly electric guitar and percussion.

Stephen O'Malley is an American guitarist, producer, composer, and visual artist from Seattle, Washington, who has conceptualized and participated in numerous drone metal, doom metal, and experimental music bands, most notably Sunn O))).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anohni</span> British singer (born 1971)

Anohni Hegarty, styled as ANOHNI, is an English-born singer, songwriter, and visual artist. She has presented solo work and as the lead singer of the band Anohni and the Johnsons, formerly known as Antony and the Johnsons.

Drew McDowall is a Scottish NYC based composer and musician. He was a member of Coil in the 1990’s contributing heavily to some of their most respected and influential works. As well as his solo work he has collaborated with Kali Malone, Caterina Barbieri, Robert Aki Aubrey Lowe, Hiro Kone, Varg, Puce Mary, Shapednoise and Rabit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Tucker (musician)</span> Musical artist

Alexander Tucker is an English musician from Kent who writes, records and performs alone and in collaboration with a varied array of artists. One critic writes that "Tucker sounds like he’s following a tradition that has long been neglected, focusing not on ageless songs and ideas but on ageless feelings captured through his droning miasma of acoustic guitar and mandolin." His first musical position was singing in hardcore band Suction in the early 1990s, who according to Tucker "played noisy adolescent punk with leanings towards Swans and Fugazi." His next job was as vocalist of post-rock hardcore 5-piece Unhome who released one album Short History of Houses (Unlabel) and a split single with Papa M. Unhome split in late 1999 and Tucker went on to tour the UK with Detroit space-rockers Fuxa, playing guitar synthesizers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beatriz Ferreyra</span> Argentine composer

Beatriz Mercedes Ferreyra is an Argentine composer. She lives and works in Hameau de Hodeng, France.

<i>American Whip</i> 2002 studio album by Joy Zipper

American Whip is the second album by the New York dream pop duo Joy Zipper released in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurel Halo</span> American electronic musician

Laurel Anne Chartow, known professionally as Laurel Halo, is an American electronic musician currently based in Los Angeles, California. She released her debut album Quarantine on Hyperdub in 2012 to critical acclaim; it was named album of the year by The Wire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kali Uchis</span> American singer and songwriter (born 1994)

Karly Marina Loaiza, known professionally as Kali Uchis, is an American singer and songwriter. After releasing her debut mixtape Drunken Babble (2012), she gained recognition for enlisting rapper Tyler, the Creator and Diplo to produce for her debut extended play, Por Vida (2015). She signed with Virgin EMI Records to release her debut studio album Isolation (2018), which peaked at number 34 on the Billboard 200 and saw widespread acclaim. She then signed with Interscope Records to release her second studio album and first Spanish-language project, Sin Miedo (2020). It spawned the single "Telepatía", which first gained virality on TikTok and marked her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 25, also receiving double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Her third studio album, Red Moon in Venus (2023) peaked at number four on the Billboard 200, while her fourth album and second Spanish-language project, Orquídeas (2024), peaked at number two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Corker</span> Musical artist

Adrian Corker is originally from Sheffield and he began releasing music working with Paul Conboy after meeting in Manchester in 1990. He is a British musician based in London. He also co-runs two labels and is a film score composer. He is currently published by Faber Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Dacus</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1995)

Lucy Elizabeth Dacus is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Dacus attracted attention with her debut album No Burden (2016), which led to a deal with Matador Records. Historian, her second album, was released in 2018 to critical acclaim. Home Video, her third studio album, was released in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen Arkbro</span> Swedish composer

Ellen Arkbro is a Swedish composer, sound artist and musician working with precision-tuned harmony in frameworks such as just intonation and meantone temperament. Having primarily composed for and performed on pipe organ, Arkbro's work has also included pieces for other acoustic instruments and sound synthesis. She has released several studio albums, beginning with For Organ and Brass (2017), in additional to several collaborative works.

<i>Does Spring Hide Its Joy</i> 2023 studio album by Kali Malone featuring Stephen OMalley and Lucy Railton

Does Spring Hide Its Joy is a 2023 album by American composer Kali Malone featuring guitarist Stephen O'Malley and cellist Lucy Railton, released on January 20, 2023, through Ideologic Organ, a label owned by O'Malley. It is composed of three hour-long variations on the same piece. The album received acclaim from critics.

<i>Atlas</i> (Laurel Halo album) 2023 studio album by Laurel Halo

Atlas is the fourth full-length album by American electronic musician Laurel Halo. It was released on September 22, 2023, through her own label Awe. The album features contributions by saxophonist Bendik Giske, violinist James Underwood, cellist Lucy Railton, and vocalist Coby Sey.

<i>All Life Long</i> 2024 studio album by Kali Malone

All Life Long is an album by American composer Kali Malone, released on February 9, 2024, through Ideologic Organ. It was recorded between 2020 and 2023, with contributions from the Macadam Ensemble and Anima Brass. It received acclaim from critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Railton</span> British musician

Lucy Railton is a British musician, primarily known for playing cello.

References

  1. "About". kalimalone.com. September 15, 2021. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. 1 2 McTernan, Conor (January 27, 2023). "Kali Malone - Does Spring Hide Its Joy feat. Stephen O'Malley & Lucy Railton". Resident Advisor . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Allan, Jennifer Lucy (January 18, 2023). "'I want an indescribable feeling': composer Kali Malone on her search for the sublime". The Guardian . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  4. Williger, Jonathan (January 25, 2023). "Kali Malone: Does Spring Hide Its Joy Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Cookcook (October 4, 2018). "Kali Malone". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  6. "Kali Malone crafts two hours of minimalist drone on The Sacrificial Code". June 28, 2019.
  7. D'Amico, Anthony (August 18, 2019). "Brainwashed - Kali Malone, "The Sacrificial Code"". Brainwashed . Archived from the original on September 23, 2019.
  8. "The Best Experimental Albums of 2019". Pitchfork. December 16, 2019.
  9. "Releases of the Year". The Wire . No. 431. January 2020.
  10. "Kali Malone - The Sacrificial Code". Boomkat.
  11. 1 2 3 Currin, Grayson Haver (July 12, 2022). "Kali Malone: Living Torch Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  12. Gotrich, Lars (July 8, 2022). "Kali Malone, 'Living Torch II'". NPR . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  13. Rugoff, Lazlo (July 8, 2022). "Kali Malone explores electroacoustics on new LP, Living Torch". The Vinyl Factory . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  14. "Kali Malone : Living Torch (CD)". Les presses du réel. July 7, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  15. 1 2 Eede, Christian (November 16, 2022). "Kali Malone Details New Album, 'Does Spring Hide Its Joy'". The Quietus . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  16. Poscic, Antonio (January 17, 2023). "Kali Malone – Does Spring Hide Its Joy". The Quietus . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  17. Creely, Joe (January 17, 2023). "Kali Malone – Does Spring Hide Its Joy". The Skinny . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  18. "À Carnac, des militants Civitas empêchent le concert de Kali Malone" [In Carnac, Civitas activists prevented the concert of Kali Malone]. Le HuffPost (in French). May 14, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  19. Sherburne, Philip (May 17, 2023). "When Right-Wing Extremists Crashed the French Drone Festival". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  20. Malone, Kali; O'Malley, Stephen (August 7, 2023). "JUST MARRIED!!! July 29, 2023". Instagram . Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  21. Brown, Daniel (November 2023). "Kali Malone Crosses the Abyss with Her Latest Avant-Drone Release, 'All Life Long'". WJCT. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  22. Helfand, Raphael (December 20, 2023). "Drone music isn't just one note". The Fader. Retrieved January 7, 2023.