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The Turning Wheel

by SPELLLING

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1.
Little Deer 05:39
2.
Always 05:14
3.
4.
The Future 03:27
5.
Awaken 04:31
6.
7.
8.
Legacy 03:51
9.
10.
Magic Act 05:40
11.
Revolution 05:59
12.
Sweet Talk 03:33

about

Red velvet curtains draw back to reveal a cosmic wheel of fortune, floating in the deep black star-studded theater of infinite space. A whirl of timbres, personalities, and stories. The Turning Wheel, the third full-length by the Bay Area artist SPELLLING (Chrystia Cabral), revolves around themes of human unity, the future, divine love and the enigmatic ups and downs of being a part of this carnival called life. 

Venturing to push the boundaries of her primarily synth-based work, SPELLLING took on the ambitious task of orchestrating and self-producing an album that features an ensemble of 31 collaborating musicians. The Turning Wheel incorporates a vast range of rich acoustic sounds that cast SPELLLING’s work into vibrant new dimensions. The double LP is split into two halves — “Above” and “Below.” Lush string quartet shimmer combines with haunting banjo and wandering bassoon leads, as the album progresses from the more jubilant, warm, and dreamy mood of the “Above” tracks to the more chilling and gothic tone of the “Below” tracks. This progression is anchored by SPELLLING’s familiar bewitching vocal style that emphasizes the theatrical and folkloric heart of her songwriting. 


The release of The Turning Wheel was delayed by almost a year from its intended release date in September 2020 but the forced pause ended up serving as a blessing in disguise. Navigating the chaos of recording and producing the remaining instrumentalists - either remotely or through rigid socially distanced studio sessions - was immensely difficult, however the delays ultimately opened up the opportunity for SPELLLING to dedicate more attention to her lyrics. The Turning Wheel demonstrates a distinct evolution of lyrical style, from the more incantatory and abbreviated approach of her previous work to a more expansive, narrative production.

The Turning Wheel is a manifestation of this considerable effort, time, and collaborative energy and will surely become a classic for its elegance. And while the artist’s eclectic influences, from soul to psych to pop to noise, remain present, something entirely new has also been born in the cosmic soup of this massive undertaking: a grand and genreless adventure. One that allows the artist’s authenticity to shine and also marks her as a conduit for something with a magic of its own.

SPELLLING’s previous bodies of work have earned her critical acclaim. Her 2017 debut Pantheon of Me was Bandcamp’s #4 Album of the Year and they raved: “Cabral has it, from her careful sense of composition to her charismatic presence to her ability to communicate with her music straight through to the listener’s heart.” Her first release on Sacred Bones, the Hard to Please single, was named a Best Track by The Guardian, who said the song was “like Solange looking in a haunted mirror.” Her second full length Mazy Fly saw great support from the likes of Pitchfork (“it’s the sound of an artist’s vision sharpening, pointing outward.”), Stereogum (“It’s a gorgeous and evocative and provocative record, and it points to a future where Cabral could pretty much do anything.”), Paste (“too appealing to resist”) and once again found its place in The Best Albums of 2019 at Bandcamp.

credits

released June 25, 2021

All songs written and produced by SPELLLING

Performed by SPELLLING except:
Acoustic Guitar by Milo Jimenez
Banjo by MacGregor Munson
Baritone Sax by Lidia Rodriguez
Bass by Giulio Xavier Cetto on “Little Deer”, “Emperor” “Legacy”, “Magic Act” and “Revolution”
Bass by Doug Stuart on “The Future”
Brass by Calliope Brass Quintet: Trumpet and Flugelhorn: Rebecca Steinberg and Monica Benson, Horn: Erin Paul, Trombone: Sara Mayo, Bass Trombone: Jennifer Hinkle
Bassoon, Clarinet, and Bass Clarinet by Carolyn Walter
Conga Drums by Brijean Murphy
Choir: Ezra Teshome, Noor Al-Samarrai, Dharma Mooney
Electric Guitar by Satcher Hsieh on “The Future” and “Little Deer”
Harp by Amy Ahn on “Always” and “Sweet Talk”
Harp by Destiny Muhammad on “Little Deer” and “The Future”
Shredding Electric Guitar by Lisa Reed on “Boys at School” and “Magic Act”
Strings by ATLYS (Sabrina Tabby and Jinty McTavish, violins, Rita Andrade, viola
Genevieve Tabby, cello) on “The Turning Wheel”, “The Future”, “Awaken”, and “Sweet Talk”
Strings by Del Sol String Quartet on “Always”, “Emperor” and “Queen of Wands”
Percussion by Janak JP on “The Turning Wheel”, “Magic Act”, “Revolution” and “Sweet Talk”
Percussion by Jacob Richards on “Little Deer” and “Boys at School”
Piano by Javier Santiago and Donia Jarrar
Vocals on “Sweet Talk” by Tenzin Choegyal

String Arrangements by Ted Case
Brass Arrangements by Nick Marchione and session engineered by Aleks Ozolins
Recorded at New Improved Recording in Oakland, CA with John Finkbeiner
Choir Sessions engineered by Mike Johnson and Jonny Esser of Antiquity Records in Oakland
Sax and Acoustic Guitar session engineered by Stari at 25th St Recording in Oakland

All songs mixed by Drew Vandenberg at Chase Park Transduction in Athens, GA except “Always” and “Awaken” mixed by Maryam Qudus
Additional production by Drew Vandenberg
Mastered by Adrian Morgan at Timeless Mastering in Brooklyn, NY

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SPELLLING Oakland, California

FAITH

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