Patricia Wolf’s debut, I’ll Look For You in Others, was a heavy meditation on the all-encompassing, evolving nature of grief, but See-Through, her second album, exists in the fields beyond. There are still hints of that contemplative spirit here, but it’s buoyed by playfulness and mystery. Wolf’s pristine sound design sings as ever on these 12 pieces, but they’re interconnected by a string of lucid exploration and filled with the remnants of neon memory.
Shaded reveries crawl through a viscous stillness on “The Flâneur,” etched forever in vibrant sonic mosaics. Competing sequences intersect, melting together like two rivers converging at the horizon. Synapses fire at the apex of each rising passage opening new pathways toward contentment and connection. “The Flâneur” eases into lilting crystal blue tones scattered across the pointillist canvas of “Upward Swimming Fish” where wistfulness takes hold and hangs pacified in the cool air. In this space, we can’t help but dream.
Wolf’s disembodied voice hovers with a veil of impermanence on the beguiling “A Conversation With My Innocence.” Silhouettes dissipate and reconfigure into tactile waves, rising and falling with the slowing breaths of midnight’s solace. Opener “Woodland Encounter” takes those same shadows and covers them with a collection of leaves. Field recordings add a lovely bit of whimsy to the synthetic explorations. That same air permeates the rhythmic pulses propelling “Pacific Coast Highway” ashore, moving in zigzag patterns toward a fixed point in the distance. Clouds drift in the ambient pads and hazy arrangements, flickering overhead in expressive designs.
Throughout See-Through, Wolf surprises with countless new tools, processes, and aural spells. The short but potent “Psychic Sweeping” brings an acoustic guitar to the table. Wolf spins dreamlike, enchanting motifs, transforming a simple instrument into something otherworldly. Turning each short burst into its own self-contained, vibrant world is a theme laced across See-Through. Wolf has such a special, unique voice that each granular detail carries meaning and each expression draws us in.
Foxy Digitalis depends on our awesome readers to keep things rolling. Pledge your support today via our Patreon.
