photos by Mirror Void
“…‘Summon’ beckons at its own title, sprouting forth a fully-fledged experience that swipes you off your feet quite easily.” – Everything Is Noise
Everything Is Noise presents an exclusive video premiere for “Summon,” the new single from LEILA ABDUL-RAUF, the song appearing on her fifth LP, Calls From A Seething Edge, nearing October release as a co-release between Cyclic Law and Syrup Moose.
Known for her evocative and boundary-pushing soundscapes, Calls From A Seething Edge sees LEILA ABDUL-RAUF delivering her most ambitious project to date. Here, the multi-instrumentalist/composer performs all vocals, trumpet, synth, and a variety of programmed beats, drum tracks, choirs, and string quartets, self-recording and producing the album with assistance from Sammy Fielding (Ancient Owl Audio), who also masterfully mixed the album, ensuring each layer of synth, horn, drum, choir, and string quartet could be fully realized. The enigmatic photography gracing the album’s cover is by psychoanalyst, artist, and poet Terrance McLarnan, and the mastering was handled by Frederic Arbour at Cyclic Law Mastering.
Additionally, the album features contributions from several talented musicians, including Gregory C. Hagan (ex-Common Eider, King Eider, ex-Thomas Carnacki) who provides viola solos that backbone and bookend the album, acoustic guitar from Derrick Vella (Tomb Mold, Dream Unending), hand percussion and additional drum sampling by Sam Foster (ex-Saros, ex-Weakling), violin from Ryan Honaker (Ionophore, Betterthief), electric cello and upright bass from Vincent van Veen (Kali Ra), and acoustic upright bass by Ed Lloyd Grey.
Calls From A Seething Edge’s opening track “Summon” features musical guests Gregory C. Hagan, Derrick Vella, and Sam Foster, all of whom appear with ABDUL-RAUF in the video for the song, which was also directed by Sam Foster / Mirror Void.
LEILA ABDUL-RAUF reveals, “Out of all of the songs, the opener ‘Summon’ relates most closely to the album title: I envisioned all of humanity, walking along a sharp-edged blade of indefinite length where on one side of it is the ‘safe’ concrete world of the known, and on the other side, a realm of death, infinity and the spiritual unknown, continuing to seethe and beckon to us. Sonically, ‘Summon’ picks up where Phantasiai left off and works almost like a blueprint for the whole album, showcasing a new creative direction and preparing the listener for what’s to come. Gregory’s multi-tracked viola swirls gracefully; Sam’s darbuka performance beautifully accents the rhythms during the climax, and Derrick’s masterful and contemplative guitar solo is the perfect closer to the song. I’m so grateful to have the contributions of such talented musicians.”
With their premiere of the Giallo horror-inspired video, Everything Is Noise writes in part, “The aural threads begin weaving a magnificent tapestry right from the beginning of the song that is equally aerial as it is weighty, offering gripping glimpse into the remainder of the album, and what kinds of musical nooks are explored on it. Even as a standalone single, ‘Summon’ beckons at its own title, sprouting forth a fully-fledged experience that swipes you off your feet quite easily. The visuals add another psychedelic layer to the already rather hallucinogenic ambiance, and what’s for certain is, that you are fully embedded into the ensemble of sounds and visuals throughout its duration.”
Immerse yourself in LEILA ABDUL-RAUF’s captivating “Summon” video first through Everything Is Noise RIGHT HERE.
Calls From A Seething Edge will be released on October 11th, digitally, on vinyl through Cyclic Law [100 copies on Marbled Black And White, 200 copies on Black, in a gatefold LP sleeve], and on tape via Syrup Moose [limited to 50 with a UV printed cassette], with both labels co-releasing the album on CD in a 6-panel digisleeve with matte lamination. Find preorders for all formats where the video for the lead single “Crimes Of The Soul” is playing HERE.
Watch for additional videos/singles from the album to be issued over the weeks ahead.
A Bandcamp listening party for Calls From A Seething Edge has been scheduled for Wednesday, October 9th at 1pm Eastern, where fans can hear the entire record early and discuss the songs with LEILA ABDUL-RAUF and several of the album’s audio/visual collaborators. RSVP/save the date HERE.
LEILA ABDUL-RAUF is also booking sporadic live performances supporting the record, including a set at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan on September 20th. A New York City show is being booked for December alongside additional live performances early in the new year. Watch for updates to post shortly.
LEILA ABDUL-RAUF Live:
9/20/2024 Arab American National Museum – Dearborn, MI w/ Zekkereya [tickets]
LEILA ABDUL-RAUF has been a key member in dozens of musical entities since the 1990s, including Vastum, Ionophore, Cardinal Wyrm, Fyrhtu, and more in recent years, preceded by time spent in Amber Asylum, Hammers Of Misfortune, Bastard Noise, Saros, and more. Over the past decade she’s showcased her talents as a composer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist through four varied solo efforts, each one more challenging than the last and venturing into new territory of sound and reaching new heights of creativity.
Since her Phantasiai LP in 2021, LEILA ABDUL-RAUF has navigated a world transformed by pandemic emergence, ongoing global conflicts, the resurgence of widespread fascism, and ecological destruction. The new album Calls From A Seething Edge is a powerful, conceptual reflection of these immense global and personal upheavals, an album which questions whether an alternative to our destructive ways of operating is possible on a mass level or if they are an inescapable part of the human condition. Moving away from the ambient dreamscapes of her previous works, this album embraces a more epic and rhythmic approach, introducing elements of folk and industrial music. Each note is intentional, articulate, and exposed, creating a sonic journey that is both vast and intimate.
The world is on edge. Embrace the void as LEILA ABDUL-RAUF‘s Calls From A Seething Edge takes you to the seething edge of existence. This album teaches us to breathe without breath and live where there is no life. Wartime never began… never did it end.
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