Ringing Still Life by Laura Mello: A Sonic Puzzle That Sticks With You
Laura Mello’s Ringing Still Life is one of those albums that sneaks up on you. Released in 2018 via corvo records, it’s not your typical classical or electronic record—it’s more like a sonic collage where genres blur into something entirely new. If experimental music had a secret handshake, this album would be it. And honestly? It’s kind of genius.
Let me start with “Groove 1 = Schnitzel-Caixinha Sample333up Sample750down Glockleiter”, because how could I not? The title alone feels like someone spilled Scrabble tiles onto the floor and decided to make art out of it. This track hits you right away with its jarring mix of mechanical clicks, glitchy samples, and what sounds suspiciously like kitchen utensils having an existential crisis. But somehow, it all works. There’s this weird tension between chaos and control—like watching a storm roll in while sipping coffee indoors. By the time the glockenspiel (or whatever “Glockleiter” means) chimes in, you’re either fully hooked or questioning every life choice that led you here. Either way, it sticks with you.
Then there’s “Groove 2 = Groove 1 With Field Recordings”, which feels like stepping into a dream version of Berlin at dawn. Here, Mello layers field recordings over the already intricate foundation of Groove 1, adding whispers of distant conversations, birdsong, maybe even footsteps crunching gravel. It’s haunting but warm, like finding an old photograph you didn’t know you needed. You can almost picture her piecing these sounds together late at night, headphones clamped tight, muttering to herself about whether the bird noise goes here or there. It’s personal, intimate, and oddly comforting.
What makes Ringing Still Life so memorable isn’t just the technical wizardry—it’s how raw it feels. Laura Mello doesn’t just compose; she builds little worlds out of sound scraps and lets you wander through them. Mixed by herself and mastered by Wolfgang Musil, the production has this tactile quality, as if you can touch each layer. And props to Karen Tortato and Wendelin Büchler for the artwork—it perfectly mirrors the disjointed beauty of the music.
Honestly, listening to this album feels like being handed a box of random objects and told to build something meaningful. At first, you’re confused. Then intrigued. Eventually, you realize you’ve created something uniquely yours. That’s the magic of Ringing Still Life.
And hey, fun fact: Laura Mello might’ve invented a new genre without realizing it. Or maybe she did realize it and just smiled knowingly while sipping tea somewhere in Germany. Who knows? All I know is, after hearing this, I’ll never look at schnitzels—or caixinhas—the same way again.
