Too Small to be a Plain, by Lia Kohl

Too Small to be a Plain

by Lia Kohl

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Remastered for vinyl by Taylor Deupree with expanded artwork and corrected song titles in a pressing of 200. Includes a double-sided color insert.

Includes unlimited streaming of Too Small to be a Plain via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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edition of 200

$23 USD or more
Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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$7 USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
An approved test pressing in a generic sleeve. Limited to 5.

Includes unlimited streaming of Too Small to be a Plain via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 7 days

3 remaining

$20 USD or more

1.	First Picture of the Weather Pattern 03:47	buy track
2.	"Join me, everybody" 06:16	buy track
3.	Moon Bean 08:25	buy track
4.	"Too small to be a plane" 06:09	buy track
5.	Second Picture of the Same Weather Pattern 03:34	buy track
6.	"Delivered back to you, over and over again" 05:23	buy track

about

Florabelle welcomes its first reissue--the debut album of cellist, composer, and sound artist Lia Kohl, Too Small to be a Plain. Originally released on cassette last year by Shinkoyo/Artist Pool, this vinyl edition features completely remastered audio by Taylor Deupree and expanded artwork courtesy of the artist herself. The exceptional approach Lia exhibits so confidently on The Ceiling Reposes, her acclaimed LP from earlier this year, was already in sharp focus here; it's a privilege to collaborate with her on this rerelease.

What makes Too Small to be a Plain so successful are its inviting juxtapositions. Here is a series of compositions grounded in improvisations, thoughtfully culled and layered with an openhearted embrace of happy accidents. Just as her dexterity as a cellist is evident on "'Join me, everybody'," equally so is her interest in the din outside her window. Elsewhere on "Second Picture of the Same Weather Pattern," richly resonant acoustic figures share space with the sparkler static of radio transmissions. The playfulness of the title of "Moon Bean,"--the album's glowing centerpiece--suggests that very glow could be coming from something beyond our skies or, conversely, held within our hands. Despite Lia having performed and recorded all of the work herself, the album is guided by her years of collaboration with dozens of others and the final product is clearly the work of someone who listens with curiosity and empathy. Listen closely and those same qualities may arise in you, too, reframing the space you occupy.

If you're new to Lia's work, Too Small to be a Plain is an ideal starting point. (And you might be more aware of her than you realize--in addition to releasing collaborations as part of ZRL and with Macie Stewart, she's also a contributor to albums by Makaya McCraven, claire rousay, Circuit des Yeux, and Steve Hauschildt, among others.) If you're familiar with The Ceiling Reposes, the cabinet of curiosities on display there grounds this music, too-- here with an arguably more modest or tender sensibility. Regardless of how you come to this album--you're here! That's the important thing. Do stay awhile and listen.

credits

released August 4, 2023

Lia Kohl: cello, synthesizer, voice, radio, field recordings

written and recorded by Lia Kohl between September 2020 and March 2021 in Chicago
mixed and mastered by Matt Mehlan at the Stuudio
remastered for vinyl and digital by Taylor Deupree

originally released on tape by Shinkoyo/Artist Pool in March 2022

Band on track 2: Marching Band at ReNEW McDonogh City Park Academy #28, New Orleans, Louisiana
Voices on tracks 2, 4, 6: Neighbor (unknown), Ryan Packard, Gaspar Claus

Album design and jacket photo by Lia Kohl
Photos on inserts by Juliana Kohl

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about

Florabelle New York

Florabelle was conceived in 2014 by Ned Millligan with its first releases debuting in 2015. It was founded as a home for small-run editions of music, but beyond the goal of getting worthy objects out to a larger audience, there are no boundaries of format or media in mind. ... more

florabellerecords.com

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