Ava R. Stedman takes trance bones and washes them out with electronic drones. Oh, and sometimes it gets really loud. This follow-up to New Life Now clocks in at 40 minutes, but the price point is that of a single or EP. All that doesn't really mean anything, but I think it does indicate that this might be a somewhat less polished release. If so, that might well be a good thing.

Tsunxmi No Mirrors (Give/Take)

Stedman is also part of a collective that goes by the name Midnight Express. Her solo work is way harsher, but she pushes electronic music in much the way Moroder did in 1978. I doubt her pieces here will lodge themselves in a sizable part of the collective psyche the way "The Chase" has, but she is opening paths for others to run through all the same.

And yes, this is yet another vaguely abstract electronic work that has taken over my mind. For me, this is the sound of 1 A.C. (after COVID). I don't need things to make sense--I don't want things to make sense. I just want to drift. And then be beaten senseless. Tsunxmi does both with aplomb.

Oh, and that track "No Music"? She's not fucking around. It's a bit less processed than Namanax. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, you're probably a lot saner than me. Tumble into the depths. I'll see you on the other side of the vaccinations.

Jon Worley