- At only 30 years old, Mica Levi, AKA Micachu, has worked across more styles of music than most people do in a lifetime. Her most recent, and most visible, activities have been as a soundtrack composer for films such as Under The Skin and Jackie. The latter helped her develop as a more traditional classical composer. This is where the two short pieces—solo works for cello and piano, played by the classically trained musicians Oliver Coates and Eliza McCarthy—that make up this 7-inch come in.
Coates and Levi, who often collaborate, released an album together last year. Coates's rich, smooth tone is well suited to "Peace"'s resonant harmonics and elongated almost-drones, which creates poignant movement with just the right amount of romanticism. "Riding Through Drinking Harpo Dine" was written for McCarthy. With a more angular, modernist melodicism and modulating tempo, it's easier to hear Levi's signature method of fragment repetition with layered build-ups. Both pieces benefit from sections of harmonic complexity, recorded in a single take using a dual mic set-up.
It's a nice twist to see works like this pressed on a 7-inch and presented with Levi's own drawings. It feels intimate and relaxed, as opposed to the grander scale of most classical music. This single feels like a peek behind an institutional curtain, provided by warm and friendly spirits that understand both sides of the divide.
TracklistA Peace
B Riding Through Drinking Harpo Dine