Birds of Passage & I’ve Lost – I Was All You Are

Following a run of critically acclaimed releases, New Zealand’s Alicia Merz returns once again under her Birds Of Passage moniker, joined this time by I’ve Lost – the solo project of US based experimental artist Bobby Jones. While Birds Of Passage is something of a Fluid Radio regular, Jones last popped up on our collective radar all the way back in 2010 with the excellent Dissociative Fugue, appearing on Portugal’s Feedback Loop label (incidentally, Feedback Loop’s curator Leonardo Rosado also created a collaboration LP titled The Dear And Unfamiliar with the ever busy Merz, still available from Denovali).

I Was All You Are commences with the title track, which at fourteen minutes takes up roughly half the EP’s length. The piece begins with thick ambient textures quite dark in timbre, setting a suitably charged atmosphere until Merz’s vocals join the mix. Indeed, the inspired pairing sees Merz and Jones move firmly into their roles from the opening number, each artists’ strengths complemented by their counterpart. While Jones provides a musical foundation and his work is in a complementary role, it is essential nonetheless and the artist shows both great restraint and a keen ear in order to play just what is necessary to allow Merz to shine.