The American experimental musician on a song full of spiritual intensity.
The premise of One Track Mind is pretty simple: I ask artists to pick one track that means a lot to them – either something they’ve discovered recently, something that’s been with them for years, or one that reminds them of a specific time in their life or career – and tell me what makes it so special to them. I get to talk to the artists I love, and they get to talk about the artists they love. Love all round!
Earlier this year, Maria BC released their third album Marathon, their second for the fantastically consistent indie label Sacred Bones. It follows previous LPs Hyaline and Spike Field from 2023, both which I love and still go back to regularly.
This time around, the focus is more on songwriting, with Maria BC reporting they spent less time on production and more on lyrics and structure. The result is a more concise and varied record across its thirteen tracks. Marathon was written and recorded across the West Coast, and it covers themes like endurance, survival, environmental issues and personal disruption. The sound moves between acoustic tracks and more distorted, glitchy material, but keeps a consistent thread throughout.
For their One Track Mind, Maria BC has selected a heartbreakingly beautiful song from Scotland-born, Copenhagen-based artist Clarissa Connelly.
Maria BC on Clarissa Connelly – Life of the Forbidden
“I’ve been listening to this song in my car a lot. It’s a song that agitates buried feelings. I love Clarissa Connelly’s voice, how she switches from a hushed, timid delivery to a full shouting belt. She doesn’t shy away from spiritual intensity. That’s what I love about her music. It’s unrestrained, unafraid of its own strength.
“She’s said in interviews that, while she was at conservatory, she became enthralled with overtones and spent much of her time crafting warbling, bent sounds from the colliding high frequencies of piano and string instruments. The way her music is mixed makes it clear that she likes to dwell in the high end, so to speak. I normally find myself feeling closed off to music that sounds “sparkly,” but in this case, I love it. It’s not bright solely for the sake of clarity or perceived loudness – the arrangement and the mix work together to create a feeling of upward motion, like a fountain. The whole song sounds like it’s being delivered to the sky, an entreaty to God.
“And it’s true the lyrics are a prayer, though a prayer riven with rage and doubt – she grieves a world of suffering, a world in which some are forced to wait for solace in death: “Are you crucified? Are you forgiven? / Have you lived a life of the forbidden?” It’s hard to write a more crushing refrain than that.”
Maria BC – Marathon is out now on Sacred Bones
The Predatory Wasp 