Description

“Murdúchann”: Where layered vocal transformations summon siren songs and sonic phantoms from within the source. The word “Murdúchann” comes from a Middle Irish word evoking a siren-like being—a sea singer or mermaid. Over the past decade Barbara Ellison has collected a vast source pool of female singing voices as the generative “primordial soup” of vocal-originated “sonic phantoms”. In the studio she arranges the voices in complex layers, letting the phantomatic presence of voices unfold and evolve in unpredictable, whimsical ways.

TRACKLIST

murdúchann – idir
murdúchann – glór
murdúchann – rún
murdúchann – draíocht
murdúchann – geasa
murdúchann – fiántas
murdúchann – claochlú
murdúchann – teorainn
murdúchann – aisling
murdúchann – sí
murdúchann – ceo
murdúchann – iontaí (bonus track, digital-only)
murdúchann – tairseach (bonus track, digital-only)
murdúchann – éalú (bonus track, digital-only)
murdúchann – filleadh (bonus track, digital-only)

Bonus tracks are only available with the digital album on Bandcamp.

murdúchann – idir (excerpt)

murdúchann – glór (excerpt)

murdúchann – rún (excerpt)

murdúchann – draíocht (excerpt)

The word “Murdúchann” comes from a Middle Irish word evoking a siren-like being—a sea singer or mermaid. It derives from “muir” (sea) and “dúchann” (chant, song). The singing melodies said to hold sway over seamen were characteristic of the sirens of classical mythology—likely imported into Irish literature via Homer’s Odyssey.

Over the past decade I have been working with a vast source pool of female singing voices (*) as the generative “primordial soup” of vocal-originated “sonic phantoms”. These arise, unfold and evolve in wonderfully unpredictable and unruly ways when the studio summoning work is right and when they get the dedication and patience they deserve. In my experience, this intricate and long-term sonic-compositional work unleashes creative forces and materials that are literally unheard-of: surprising, unplanned, multiform, diverse, and –most importantly– with their own agency.

Barbara Ellison

Unsounds 93U sleeve front

Unsounds 93U sleeve open

BIOGRAPHY

Composer and artist Barbara Ellison is fascinated by ghostly presence and substance in a plethora of sonic and visual realms. Her work and research with “Phantoms” explores states of auditory and visual ambiguity working with materials that are either naturally ambiguous or have been “composed” or created to attain this quality, in order to exploit the potential for apophenia to manifest, bringing with it what she calls a “phantasmatic” presence.

Her creations have been presented internationally in live performances, featured radio shows, and audio releases, including her latest album CyberSongs (Unsounds Records) and the 3-hour piece Cyber-Opera.

Barbara Ellison holds a PhD on composition from the University of Huddersfield, UK (Sonic Phantoms). Her book Sonic Phantoms - Composition with Auditory Phantasmatic Presence (co-authored with Thomas B.W. Bailey, 2020) and a full podcast and interview with her on the Anechoic Chamber podcast are great introductions to her work.

Barbara Ellison has appeared previously on Unsounds in the volume of texts and music Things That A Mutant Needs To Know (2013), Clap. An Anatomy Of Applause (2022) and CyberSongs (2021).

Barbara Ellison

CREDITS

Composed, edited and mixed by Barbara Ellison at Dune Studio (The Hague) and Hundred Islands Studios (Rosclave enclave), 2018–2026.
Album Mastering by Francisco López.
Cover art and design by Isabelle Vigier.

(*) A small fraction of all the initial source vocal material –but worthy of full credit nonetheless– came from a “remix” track I created from selections from the album Bleaching Bones by Landless, an Irish four-part harmony ensemble (Lily Power, Méabh Meir, Ruth Clinton, and Sinéad Lynch) that sings unaccompanied traditional songs, following an invitation by Michael Greville of Humble Serpent Records.

Special thanks to: 
Landless (Lily, Méabh, Ruth and Sinéad), Michael Greville and Vinnie Dermody (Humble Serpent Records), Joan Ellison, Sandra Ellison and Francisco López.