Elysia Crampton Moth / Lake

Formerly known by the moniker, E + E, this single marks the first chapter of Elysias Shenandoah series, “a concept work that explores Virginian American history and brownness beyond culture, as geology - as mud, dirt, and mineral.”
Breaking with the artist’s highly influential and formerly sample-rich arrangements, the material on both sides is entirely, uniquely original. With the breathtaking transevangelistic comedy, ‘Moth’, written for and featuring the compelling vocal of Money Allah, Elysia pays tribute to legendary Afro-American comedians Stepin Fetchit and Bert Williams against a sweeping backdrop of vapourous synths and strings perhaps best compared, in terms of sonics, with the deep synthetic topographies of TCF and Arca (or is it the other way around?). In the most striking sense, it’s a song that will stick with you long, long after it’s finished.
The immersive instrumental B-side, ‘Lake’, is Elysia’s version of a Bolivian Saya, a work song/dance style which can trace its roots back to the original mixture of Andean and African traditions during the first days of slavery in South America, and also makes reference to John Bunyan’s 17th C religious text, ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ and the railroad path near the Shenandoah Mountains, Virginia, where the piece’s crepsucular patina of field recordings were sourced. Quite simply, it’s a hugely recommended record from a genuinely exceptional and incisive artist.