Lisa Lerkenfeldt Halos Of Perception

‘Halos of Perception’ was inspired by Lerkenfeldt’s encounter with a member of Cave Clan, an Australian
“urban exploration” group who probe abandoned forts, drains, bunkers and tunnels, searching out places that
most people ignore or purposefully avoid. Her friend would travel underground to visit a small room and read
alone by candlelight, prompting Lerkenfeldt to consider how sound travels through concrete tunnels, and how
people used to put on underground shows. She recreates this nervous atmosphere using nebulous piano loops
and rumbling, bass-heavy throbs, letting gentler sounds trickle through the darkness like dripping rainwater.
Considering the importance and trickiness of memory and oral traditions, Lerkenfeldt makes her music
difficult to decipher, abstracting her phrases with irregular loop points and blurring her instrumentation with
obscured field recordings and kinetic drones. On ‘Stairway to the interior’ it sounds as if she’s jamming in a
cavernous tunnel, with wind rushing around the concrete as she plays. ‘A fragrance of moss and chalk’ is even
sludgier, looping indistinct piano notes over waterlogged scrapes and foley clanks. But there are cracks of
light throughout: ‘Cobwebs’ finds glistening beauty in the system of caves and tunnels, and ‘Amulet of sweat’
pairs Lerkenfeldt’s elegant piano playing with crunchy distortion, teasing the darkness with bright, dazzling
sunshine.