The first studio recording for the performing quartet of New York improvisers, Cecilia Lopez (synthesizer), Michael Foster (tenor & soprano saxophones), Sean Ali (double bass) and Eli Wallace (upright piano), taking listeners on an inflating journey from "Stratosphere" to "Exosphere" through unorthodox approaches, from sparse intensity to dense textural interaction.
"The Inflatable Leviathan documents the first studio recording of Cecilia Lopez, Michael Foster, Sean Ali, and Eli Wallace. The group began playing concerts in 2019, exploring the potential musical direction given the combination of these four musicians. They began cultivating their ensemble sound by creating dense textures or sparse ruminating passages that were relieved by moments of melodic impositions, piercing screeches, low growls, intrusive pops, and undulating sweeps.
After a Covid-imposed hiatus, they re-convened in May of 2021 to record The Inflatable Leviathan, coming together to create something equally unique in its electro-acoustic instrumentation as its sonic content. The music unfolds organically. Focusing on unorthodox playing approaches, they collectively effectuate a tapestry where they can insert themselves or stay silent as they see fit, determining where to contribute within the maze of interlocking parts. Temporal perception is tampered with as some sections of the music portray a sense of time suspension, others seem to lurch ahead only to stop abruptly, and some passages even fall into a march-like beat. The music evokes a sense of mercurial foreboding, sometimes obliterated by interjections of zany jocularity. The musicians revel in these flashes of playful absurdity that become more and more pronounced as the album progresses."-Tripticks Tapes