Laura Gibson & Ethan Rose – Bridge Carols

Contributor: Ed Thanhouser

Laura Gibson and Ethan Rose’s hotly-anticipated collaborative album is officially out in the world, after long gestation. We first got a taste last summer, when the duo contributed “Sun” to the 2009 PDX Pop Now! compilation. In it, Gibson intones, “Sometimes I melt away / into a puddle of light…” just as her voice does exactly that amidst an airy expanse of tinkling chimes and cumulo-nimbus harp chords, all washed in a gently shimmering reverb. It was a perfect choice to represent the project. Throughout the course of Bridge Carol’s 8 tracks, you may be suddenly overcome by the feeling of being bathed in warm light, lifted up, transported. This is transcendental, out-of-body music. (continue reading…)