I've seen Alma Laprida perform in multiple venues here in the D.C. area and each time I remain sort of amazed at how a Renaissance-era instrument can hold an audience in rapt attention. Alma plays the Tromba marine, sometimes called the "marine trumpet", a uni-stringed instrument popular in 15th century Europe. The warm tones of the Tromba marine share similarities with the sounds of the cello, but the marine trumpet lends itself well to drones and minimalist compositions.
Laprida, originally from the Buenos Aires scene, has performed regularly in the DMV, and her performances consistently bring a warmth to the avant-garde that is sometimes suprising. Folks have called the cello the instrument most capable of recalling the human voice, but there's something both mournful and lovely about the tones of the marine trumpet, and Alma usually finds a way to coax those out, while simply and directly up-ending our expectations of ambient and post-rock musics. Her new album, Pitch Dark and Trembling, is out today via Outside Time, and it's a both a neat summation of her brand of music for those new to it, as well as an expansion of her signature sound.
The word expansion is an interesting adjective to use considering how sparse some of these tracks are. "A Thick Event" opens things on a note of foreboding. It's the faintest hint of doom here that gives this weight, even as the selection seems as simple and slight as possible. Elsewhere, "Trembling" finds the notes of the marine trumpet varying as if being pulled and sharpened and let loose over and over again. The piece retains a sort of liquid warmth, even as the notes briefly intensify or seem warped by noise, or their own feedback. "Vibra", the longest number here, lets us hear silence sparring with scratches and scraps, though even those are stretched out a bit. The piece has an enveloping momentum about it that's more apparent on each listen, and a hint of menace that gives it real weight. The closer "Trust Me" serves up skittering notes which pull us forward, the hint of the bow on the string giving this one a palpable immediacy.
Pitch Dark and Trembling carves out its own unique space in the ambient soundscape. It's a record of empty spaces and intruding noises, where a listener is compelled to continue the journey through the darkness because of the hesitant, yet insistent notes being lured out of the marine trumpet. Those who find themselves fans of both drone rock and ambient works will likely find a sweet spot here on this release. And for those who are already well aware of Alma Laprida's work, this will be further proof of the stark power of her music.
Pitch Dark and Trembling by Alma Laprida is out today via Outside Time.
[Photo: Estefania Landesmann]