Cruel Diagonals is the multimedia experimental electronic music project of classically trained vocalist Megan Mitchell. For her ninth studio release, “Fractured Whole”, Mitchell utilizes her powerful voice as the source for all instrumentation to quite dramatic effect.
Her operatic, but gentile, drone-like lead vocalizations aren’t unlike that of a Siren; beautifully inviting, but with an underlying sense of danger. When Mitchell’s voice isn’t gently lulling you, it’s coming in fast in scalpel sharp stabs, or circling around your mind like some ethereal insect swarm. I imagine her background in jazz came in handy with arranging these samples into cohesive pieces.
There are moments where I’d bet my life she’s accompanied by a guitar or a bass, or even a drum machine of some kind, which is a testament to her manipulating skills in the studio. I know machines can help us accomplish great things in music, but it’s no easy feat to turn some vocal lines into a full dark ambient symphony, especially one that doesn’t become boring. A lot of hard work goes into something like this, and I believe her efforts paid off.
If you like ambience, static, industrial sensibilities, warm drones, and hymnal voices, this record is for you. The limited edition marbled vinyl has sold out, but standard black LPs are still available from the artists Bandcamp.
Update:
Since this review was initially written, the artist has made a live recording of the record release show available (with a remix thrown in for good measure). If you liked the studio album, you’ll love hearing it performed live. To date, this is only available as a download, but maybe something physical will manifest in the future?