Malo Moray & His Inflatable Knee - EMBRACE (Album of the Month 12/25)

Malo Moray is a master of countercyclicality: the faster and more hectic the society around him, the more decelerated and otherworldly his music becomes. The latest proof: his new album "EMBRACE," which resembles a warm embrace not only because of its title.

The Leipzig double bass player and composer recorded it during a concert in front of two dozen people—without any prior concept, but equipped as usual with a special sensitivity for the live moment. This has been his artistic strength for years—his mostly extra-long pieces are anticipation and empathy turned into music.

As on previous albums, the four tracks on this release move within the cosmic field of tension between ambient, noise, and jazz, repeatedly flanked by spoken word elements. Anyone who has been searching for a warming soundtrack for the coming winter nights has found it here.