CST035 180gEP / CDEP
ELIZABETH ANKA VAJAGIC
Nostalgia / Pain EP
Elizabeth Anka Vajagic follows up last year’s debut full-length with two long-form incantations channeled through the full range of her blistering, astoundingly intimate voice. As the title suggests, Vajagic cuts deep into a couple of timeless themes, with both title pieces featuring extended instrumental and noise passages. “Nostalgia” and “Pain” were both recorded by Howard Bilerman at the Hotel2Tango during the sessions for Stand With The Stillness Of This Day (cst028), and allow seasoned improv-noise players like Sam Shalabi (guitar), Michel Langevin (drums) and Fluffy Erskine (bowed objects) to stretch out and serve up a harrowing skronk. The EP closes with a 4-track home recording done in dead of winter, at the end of 2004. These are chilling vocal lamentations framed by sometimes ghostly, sometimes galloping sonic texture. From quivering falsetto to guttural glissando, Vajagic’s voice gets a complete workout on these long, immersive songs. A pure, direct and unflinching emotional document that completes the song cycle begun with her debut album, and will wring the hearts of fans and newcomers alike.