Some artists take the step to contact us directly to promote their releases and showcase their musical talents. That’s exactly what happened when, out of the blue, independent non-binary musician and visual artist Avi C. Engel (they/them) reached out and asked us to listen to their newest album, Mote. We hadn’t heard of Avi C. Engel before, but since we remain open-minded to genres beyond extreme metal, we dove into the latest work of this Toronto-based artist.
Engel has been releasing music since 2004 (though more digging is still needed) and has collaborated with artists from a variety of countries. Their new album Mote is built around voice and acoustic guitar—material that could partly fall under the singer-songwriter label, though it resists being confined there. Engel’s song structures resemble quatrains more than conventional verses or choruses, while the music is paired with vivid, imaginative lyrics that evoke an ethereal atmosphere, shimmering with shards of introspective melancholy.
Mote is an album of dreamy night music, colored by experimental and avant-garde influences reminiscent of artists such as Low, William Fitzsimmons, Of the Wand & the Moon, and Found Objects of Desire. Alongside contributions from Tsinder Ash (clarinet and voice on ‘The Night Is Old’), Brad Deschamps (melodica and guitar pedal ambience on ‘Ogre’s Banquet’) and Liz Dimo who adds further depth with her passionate acoustic guitar playing on the track ‘Mote’, Engel handles vocals, acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, gudok, percussion, mixing, and even the striking artwork on the atmospheric recording.
Without a doubt, Mote could serve as a perfect soundtrack for a hunting lodge deep in the woods, accompanied by the crackle of a fire and a good glass of wine.
