Lia Kohl has announced a new album, Various Small Whistles and a Song, which will be released on November 14 via Dauw. To mark the announcement, the composer and sound artist has a shared a three-song suite: ‘Penny Whistle Seller, Guangzhou’, ‘Home, Los Angeles’ featuring claire rousay, and ‘My Kitchen, Chicago’. Take a listen below.
Responding to Ed Ruscha’s 1964 photographic artist book Various Small Fires and Milk, the album mirrors the book’s structure – 15 images of fire and one of a glass of milk – by reshaping 15 recordings of whistles and one of a song into micro-compositions. “I’ve always been captivated by whistling—it’s musical but often a bit unconscious; usually solo but often done in public places,” Kohl reflected. “There’s something tender and human about hearing someone whistle, a socially acceptable version of hearing their mind wander.” It also features contributions from Macie Stewart, Patrick Shiroishi, and more.
Revisit our Artist Spotlight interview with Lia Kohl.
Various Small Whistles and a Song Cover Artwork:
Various Small Whistles and a Song Tracklist:
1. Voting Line, Downtown Chicago
2. Penny Whistle Seller, Guangzhou
3. Sullivan’s Island Beach, Charleston
4. Basketball Court [feat. Macie Stewart]
5. Walking Home, Los Angeles [feat. Patrick Shiroishi]
6. My Kitchen, Chicago
7. Outside, Arrington [feat. Colin Held]
8. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Illinois (feat. Corey Smith, Ellie Mejía, and Anna Fox)
9. Train, Antwerp to Amsterdam
10. Belzec Extermination Camp [feat. Jesse Perlstein]
11. Home, Los Angeles [feat. claire rousay]
12. Amtrak, Hudson Valley
13. Home, Portland [feat. Steve Rosborough]
14. Walking Home, Chicago
15. Antwerp Central Train Station, Antwerp
16. Barcelona (6:13 am, January 1st)
