V/A - "ABSORB: THE WORLD I WANT WOULD BE CELESTIAL, WET" 2xLP

 

LULU'S:

 

Long awaited debut full length from label/curators/family Absorb, "The World I Want Would Be Celestial, Wet" collects and presents the cream of Melbourne's experimental underground during the period of 2020-21.

Keen ears will recognise the likes of E. Fishpool, J, DBR, Bridget Chappell, and Third Space (who also just announced a new LP on .jpeg Artefacts, congratsss) amongst the roster; though a familiarity with these artists' previous work won't necessarily offer any hints here. Absorb has offered all artists the opportunity to stretch out and get comfy, an offer that has been seemingly relished.

Opening with a beautiful 10 minute Lily Tait composition (featuring, among it's movements, a poem from which the title is sourced), the following hour and a bit ebbs along; stretching and snapping time at it's whim. Tracks meld and fall into one another, maintaining a strong sense of narrative without sounding homogeneous.

A combination of a near-perfect curatorial ear, combined with incredible compositions from what was (and remains!) a particularly fertile time in Melbourne's experimental scene, make "The World I Want Would Be Celestial, Wet" not only an essential time capsule, but gorgeous art of its own. A+++

ABSORB:

 

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A glass half-full. The World I Want Would Be Celestial, Wet is the first full-length release from record label, Absorb. The eagerly awaited compilation features acclaimed and lesser-known artists, presenting thirteen works made between 2020 and 2021. Crucially, the double LP serves as a timestamp of a very special chapter of contemporary experimental music being made in Naarm (Melbourne) and its surrounds. Taken in, soaked up, gleaming.

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Absorb acknowledges the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation and the Ngunnawal, Ngunawal and Ngambri people as the Custodians of the lands on which this publication was produced. So-called Australia is stolen land, where sovereignty was never ceded. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

 

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