LP Edition of 250. Download included inside lp.

$24

Here is the vinyl we promised, consisting of the first half of  Soft Focus, the recent solo CD by Wednesday Knudsen. The second half may be along before the end of the year, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This here is a solid foot of brilliant musical meditations that will fit snugly onto your shelf RIGHT NOW.

The project was begun deep in the Plague Era, when it was hoped things might be turning better. It is virtually all unaccompanied work, apart from a little harp by PG Six on the first track. Wednesday displays her sweetly abundant chops on woodwinds, guitar, keyboards and vocals. The mood is abstract and wistful, bright at some moments, shrouded in the fog of mystery at others. Wednesday describes the record’s sound as “ambient,” which is true, but there’s more here than that term often infers. To me, the pieces feel closer to the song-shaped abstractions Eno explored on Another Green World  and Before and After Science than to Music for Airports or Discreet Music. There’s a lovely pop sensibility hiding in them that hillocks. 

Wednesday’s other solo releases are two CDRs on Mystra and a cassette on Microdose. And she has a long recording history with the Pigeons as well as a few other combos. Previous appearances on FTR are Viewer’s New Salem MC (FTRCS239), both Weeping Bong Band LPs (FTR313 & 448), and a pair of LPs in duo with Willie Lane (FTR530 & 589). She has other pots boiling as well, but for now, here’s some Soft Focus vinyl for your weary head.

Don’t miss the opportunity to grab it. What goes around does not always come around.

-Byron Coley, 2023