Rebecca Foon (born 13 December 1978) is a Canadian cellist, vocalist, and composer from Montreal, Quebec. Foon currently records under her own name, as well as the alias Saltland, and is a member and co-founder of the modern chamber ensemble Esmerine.
Foon has also been a member of several groups associated with the post rock, experimental, and chamber music scenes of Montreal and New York City, including Set Fire to Flames, A Silver Mt. Zion, and Colin Stetson’s Gorecki Symphony of Sorrow ensemble. Esmerine's Turkish folk-influenced album Dalmak, released in 2013, was awarded the Juno Award for Instrumental Album of the Year in 2014 as was their 2022 album Everything Was Forever Until It Was No More. In 2013, she released her first Saltland album, which Exclaim.ca called "a captivating combination of genres from dream pop to chamber music to ambient and shoegaze",[1] followed by her album A Common Truth which The Skinny stated, "is a bona fide stunner".[2] In 2020, Foon released Waxing Moon, her first album under her own name. Foon has also composed many soundtracks for film and museums.
Early life
Rebecca Foon was born in 1978 in Canada, and raised in Vancouver.[3] She is the daughter of art educator and producer Jane Howard Baker, and playwright, producer, screenwriter, and novelist Dennis Foon.
Music career
Early years
In 1996, when she was 17, Foon moved to Montreal from Vancouver, and soon became involved in the city's DIY music scene.[4] She has been a member of several groups associated with the post rock, experimental and chamber music scene of Montreal, including ongoing collaborations with a number of musicians who are members of post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor as well as indie rock band Arcade Fire.[5][6] Among her earliest projects, in 1995, Foon teamed up with Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, and Moonface) and Rachel Levine (Cakelk), forming the instrumental string/piano/accordion-based trio Fifths of Seven.[7] Foon collaborated with choreographer Alyson Vishnovska to perform in the 1999 edition of the Edgy Women Festival.[8]
Soon after moving to Montreal, Foon began playing cello and composing with Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, a band that formed in Montreal in 1999. Foon joined in 2000, when the band expanded from a trio into a sextet. Foon plays on the band's second album, Born into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward, released in 2001 on Constellation Records. The minimalist album was well received by music critics, with Allmusic giving it 4.5/5 stars,[9] and Pitchfork Media giving it 7.7/10.[10] The band took its first extensive tour in early 2001, traveling throughout Europe. That year Foon began playing in the associated band Set Fire to Flames as well.
The next Silver Mt. Zion album, "This Is Our Punk-Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing, released in 2003, saw no change in the core line-up, excluding the inclusion of a makeshift choir. The album was essentially created as a requiem for open and abandoned spaces in Montreal, as well as for similar loss and decay around the world, due to either urban development or military action.[11] Foon continued to perform live and recorded two more records with the band while she began working on other projects. Horses in the Sky was the band's first to include lyrics on every track, with Foon contributing to the vocals and also helping mix the recording.[12] In 2008, Silver Mt. Zion toured Europe and North America. That summer, Foon and several other members resigned from the band.[13]
In 2001, she became a member of the Montreal post-rock band Set Fire to Flames. The band released two albums before it split in 2003, and many of their tracks are very minimalist in nature, filled with ambient noise and various other non-musical sound effects, juxtaposed or combined with instrumental music.[14] 2001 saw her contribute to the band's debut Sings Reign Rebuilder. The album was recorded in a century old house apparently bound for destruction. As such, several sounds usually edited out of the recording process, including creaking floors, paper shuffling and outside noises such as police sirens were left intact on the final album. The album met with a glowing reception in the press; receiving 9/10 stars from Pitchfork Media,[15] 4/5 from Allmusic,[16] and 4.5/5 from Sputnikmusic.[17]
Two years later, in 2003, she again contributed to Telegraphs in Negative/Mouths Trapped in Static by Set Fire to Flames. Recorded in a barn in Ontario, the release utilizes many different instruments, including guitars, basses, strings, horns, glockenspiel, marimba, bass clarinet, saw, cymbalon, hurdy-gurdy, music boxes, modified electronics, and contact microphones. The album was even more experimental than the previous, and met with mixed reviews from magazines such as Sputnik.[18]
In 2001, Foon co-founded the chamber rock group Esmerine with percussionist Bruce Cawdron. The two had met while recording Set Fire to Flames' debut album.[19] However, instead of using the guitar-focused sound of their other projects, the duo initially focused on marimba and cello, drawing on minimalist classical music and chamber music. The band initially performed their original music in gigs around Montreal.[19]
Esmerine released their debut album, If Only a Sweet Surrender to the Nights to Come Be True, in 2003.[20] Allmusic gave it 4/5 stars and called it "a sublime chamber rock album," stating "A French female name meaning quiet and sensitive, Esmerine is a fitting moniker for the overall sound."[21] They released their second album Aurora in 2005. Afterwards, Foon dedicated more time to Thee Silver Mt. Zion, though she continued to periodically perform with Esmerine in Montreal, often bringing in guest artists or collaborating with other groups.[19]
La Lechuza and Dalmak
As Esmerine, Foon and Bruce Cawdron began writing new music together in earnest in 2009, when their friend Lhasa de Sela invited them to open up for her as well as collaborate together.[19] For their third album, La Lechuza, two new members joined the group: Sarah Pagé, a harp player, and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Barr.[19] Released in 2011, La Lechuza was listed as one of the top ten underground records of the year in Mojo.[22]
La Lechuza is thus dedicated to Lhasa de Sela, a friend of the band's. The band collaborated with Patrick Watson on the album and released a song entitled "Snow Day for Lhasa", as well as created a site – snowdayforlhasa.com – dedicated in loving memory to Lhasa. Patrick Watson also contributed vocals on two songs and produced the album, with other guests contributing, including violinist Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire) and saxophonist Colin Stetson.
After Barr and Page became occupied with their other projects, Esmerine added two new members to their touring lineup: percussionist Jamie Thomson and multi-instrumentalist Brian Sanderson. After a number of live performances, the quartet began writing new material in early 2012.[19] After performing in Istanbul, the band was invited to return for an artist residency later that year.[23] They decided to turn a rented loft into a makeshift recording studio,[24] and recorded an album in the loft,[25] collaborating with Turkish musicians they had met there; they later toured together. Among the guest musicians were Hakan Vreskala, Baran Aşık, Ali Kazim Akdağ, and James Hakan Dedeoğlu,[26] who contributed instruments such as the bendir, darbuka, erbane, meh, barama, saz, and electric guitar. The album, Dalmak, was completed in the winter of 2012 and 2013 at Breakglass Studios in Montreal, with engineer Jace Lasek. The word "dalmak" means "immerse" in Turkish. It can also be interpreted as "to dive into," "to contemplate," and "to be absorbed in." The album, Dalmak, was released in 2013 and awarded Instrumental Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2014. The Line of Best Fit gave it 7.5/10 stars, saying "they ultimately craft gorgeous, sparkling experimental noises that blur the line between post-rock, minimalist electronica and Turkish folk."[27]
Lost Voices
Lost Voices is the result of multiple recording sessions led by Vid Cousins (Kid Koala, Amon Tobin, Colin Stetson) and was mixed/produced by Jace Lasek at Breakglass Studio in Montréal. The album features several tracks that make use of electric guitars alongside marimba, strings and percussion. Expanding from Dalmak’s core quartet, Esmerine expanded with bassist Jeremi Roy (who began touring with the group in 2013) as an official member. Lost Voices includes the appearance of GY!BE/Silver Mt. Zion violinist Sophie Trudeau as a featured guest.
Everything Was Forever Until It Was No More
The record won Junos for Best Instrumental Album of the Year as well as Recording Package of the Year in 2023.[28]
In 2010, she began working on solo material, enlisting the help of Jamie Thompson (The Unicorns) on percussion and programming.[4] Handling vocals and cello, among the sounds on which Foon focused were drone, no wave, improv, dream pop, and minimalism; eventually, the project Saltland was formed. After several years, this work culminated in the release of I Thought It Was Us But It Was All of Us on Constellation Records in 2013.[29] Among the guest musicians on the album were Sarah Neufeld, Colin Stetson, Laurel Sprengelmeyer of Little Scream, and Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire.[4]
"This album is about the power of community. It weaves in themes of sustainability, climate change, environmental degradation, urban agriculture and hope for new beginnings and fostering a sustainable path forward together. Images of salt-land deserts and innovative urban designs, like the High Line in New York were on my mind while composing this record. I was also thinking about Downtown Eastside, Vancouver, which is where I grew up."
All of the songs were constructed from cello loops.[30] About the themes, Foon stated she was trying to create a "sonic landscape" that would allow her to explore themes such as urban landscapes, urban poverty and youth homelessness, environmental issues, and "the control/criminalisation of protest and political action, which is a huge issue in general and particularly in Montreal these days." About the mood of the compositions, "I don't consider the music to be reductively dark and cold, I was really seeking to hold a lot of different tones and feelings in tension: clear-eyed observation, reverie, meditation, activism/agency – and hope and warmth too. It's not a pretty world these days, but I wanted to also leave the listener with a sense of hope."[30]
Reception
Exclaim.ca called it "a captivating combination of genres from dream pop to chamber music to ambient and shoegaze."[1]The Skinny gave it 4/5 stars and a positive review, calling her vocals "hypnotic" and stating the project "eschews the overwrought melodrama of [Thee Silver Mt. Zion and Set Fire to Flames] for an intricate and understated approach, blending soft, tender vocals with strings, drones and electronica."[29] According to Beats Per Minutes, "The songs on this record seem to revel in the evocation of tangible places. Each song seems to unfold into a vast landscape of dust-covered hills and barren horizons-all encased in a gauzy analog haze."[30]
In 2013 and 2014, Saltland toured throughout Canada and the United States with Spencer Krug's Moonface. In 2017, she released her second album, partly co-written with Warren Ellis.
Waxing Moon (2020)
In 2020, Foon released Waxing Moon, her first album under her own name.
Personal life
As of 2021, Foon is based in Montreal. She is an environmental and social activist and a member of Sustainability Solutions Group, a "sustainability and climate change consulting cooperative."[31]
Constellation Records is a Canadian independent record label based in Montreal, Quebec. It has released albums by many post-rock bands, including Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band and Do Make Say Think.
Hangedup was an experimental rock duo from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, featuring Genevieve Heistek on Viola and Eric Craven on drums and percussion. They combined viola with strong percussion, sometimes using self-made instruments, to create intense experimental Post-rock music.
Born into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward is the second album by the Canadian band The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band. It was released by Constellation Records in October 2001.
Horses in the Sky is the fourth album by the Canadian post-rock band Silver Mt. Zion, this time under the alias Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band. This is the first Silver Mt. Zion release to feature lyrics on every track.
He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms... is the debut album of Canadian post-rock group A Silver Mt. Zion, who now record under the name Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra. The album was recorded by guitarist Efrim Menuck and bassist Thierry Amar at the Hotel2Tango in 1999, mostly during breaks while touring with Godspeed You! Black Emperor. It was published by the Montreal-based record label Constellation on March 27, 2000.
"This Is Our Punk-Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing, is the third studio album by Canadian post-rock band The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-la-la Band. It was released August 25, 2003, in Europe and September 2, 2003, in the rest of the world by Constellation Records.
Hrsta is a Montreal post-rock band currently signed to Constellation Records. The band's leader, Mike Moya, was one of the founding members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Hrsta's sound has been compared to that of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Set Fire to Flames, owing to Mike Moya's contributions to each. Hrsta, however, differs from these previous projects in that it features Moya as a vocalist.
Black Ox Orkestar is a quartet that formed in Montreal, Quebec in 2000 who play modern Jewish diasporic music that draws influence from Klezmer, Romani, Arabic, Balkan and other East European traditions alongside indie rock, experimental folk and avant-jazz. The band interprets traditional tunes and composes originals sung primarily in Yiddish.
Esmerine is a Canadian modern chamber music group that incorporates genres such as post rock, drone music, post punk, and Turkish folk. Founded in Montreal in 2000 by Bruce Cawdron (drums) and Beckie Foon (cello), current members also include multi-instrumentalist Brian Sanderson. The band has released six albums.
Efrim Manuel Menuck is a Canadian musician involved with a number of Montreal-based bands, most notably Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra. Menuck is also a frequent record producer and engineer, working with musicians from Montreal and abroad.
Sarah Neufeld is a Canadian violinist who is known for her work with indie rock band Arcade Fire, with whom she is a former core member and currently a touring member. She has contributed to each of the band's studio albums to date. Neufeld is also a member of the instrumental band Bell Orchestre.
Sophie Trudeau is a Canadian musician. She is best known as a member of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and co-founder of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band. She also plays in a number of other bands, including Valley of the Giants and The Mile End Ladies String Auxiliary.
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra were a Canadian post-rock band that formed in 1999, originating from Montreal, Quebec. Variations of the name used on the band's releases include A Silver Mt. Zion, The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band with Choir and Thee Silver Mountain Reveries; the group uses the shorthand SMZ and its name is most often simplified to Silver Mt. Zion. The group was founded by Godspeed You! Black Emperor leader Efrim Menuck, who was joined by fellow Godspeed members Sophie Trudeau and Thierry Amar. Aside from these core members, Silver Mt. Zion has undergone almost yearly personnel changes, evolving by stages from a mostly instrumental trio at the time of its first recordings into an eight-piece group, and then in 2008 into a strongly vocal quintet.
Jessica Moss is a Canadian musician best known for playing violin and singing backing vocals in the post-rock band Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band since 2001. She is a founding member of Black Ox Orkestar.
13 Blues for Thirteen Moons is the fifth full-length album by the Canadian post-rock group Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band. The album was released in March 2008. The album consists of an instrumental feedback intro, split into twelve extremely short tracks, and four full songs, which had been played live on recent tours. Band member Efrim Menuck stated that the idea for the 12 short intro tracks initially was suggested because the band wanted the album to start on track 13. The deciding factor for including the tracks, however, was that "if people tried to play it on their iPods, on shuffle mode, it’d blitz their iPod."
Colin Stetson is a Canadian-American saxophonist, multireedist, and composer based in Montreal. He is best known as a regular collaborator of the indie rock acts Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Bell Orchestre, and Ex Eye. In addition to saxophone, he plays clarinet, bass clarinet, French horn, flute, and cornet.
Kollaps Tradixionales is the sixth full-length album by the experimental rock group Thee Silver Mt. Zion under the name Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra. It was released in February 2010 on Constellation Records. The songs "I Built Myself a Metal Bird", "I Fed My Metal Bird the Wings of Other Metal Birds" and "There Is a Light" were played on earlier tours.
Cloak and Cipher is the second full-length album by Canadian indie rock band Land of Talk, released August 24, 2010, on Saddle Creek Records.
Andrew Gilmore Barr is a drummer and producer based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada who is best known for his work with The Barr Brothers and The Slip.
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