Tonal Union bringen eine neue LP des auch als Psychoanalytiker aktiven amerikanischen Gitarristen und Komponisten Ezra Feinberg heraus – “Soft Power” ist ein Album von feinsinniger Machart, in welchem Feinbergs eigene entspannt gepickte und gestrummte Gitarren von mehr als einer Handvoll renommierter Gäste (Mary Lattimore, Britt Hewitt, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, David Moore, Robbie Lee, David Lackner, Russel Greenberg) an Instrumenten wie Piano, Synthies, Hafe und einigem mehr begleitet werden. “Soft Power” erscheint mit Artwork basierend auf einem Foto aus Marc Alcocks Bildband California Topiary und ist auch digital erhältlich, die beiden Opener schon jetzt.

“Defined by its abundance of melodies, repeating figures and ecstatic improvisations, Soft Power exudes an enlightened and transformative spirit to empower the listener. Feinberg, a practising psychoanalyst and former founding member of the San Francisco psychedelic collective Citay (Dead Oceans / Important Records) resides in the artistic enclave of upstate New York’s Hudson River valley. Initial recordings emerged in the late summer of 2020, before added synthesis with collaborator John Thayer (Arp, Sunwatchers) during early 2021. Soft Power follows previous albums Recumbent Speech (2020) and Pentimento and Others (2018). [...] Feinberg artfully transcends the listener to an enriched place, his compositions distinguished by the deep humanity that lies at their core, plugging the listener into a state of wide eyed being, open and alive. Soft Power then is Ezra’s own mantra but also one of power giving – a colourful catharsis translated into music. Feinberg’s music always speaks to the listener, but Soft Power, in whispering, speaks loudest”. (James Toth)

“Much like everyday life, I wanted to convey these very plain, simple, tranquil, nearly quotidian aspects, but each piece contains this arc in which that form expands, is broken out of, so what starts out like a painting of flowers in a seaside motel turns into a riot of color and sound, or you feel slipped into a dream that feels like it could go on forever” (Ezra Feinberg)

Porträt © Brandon Schulman