by Mariah Noonie (@mariahnoonie)
Hailing from Northampton, Massachusetts, Sara Kochanski, better known as Wishbone Zoe, is a true cross-disciplinary artist. She has spent the majority of the past decade exploring different forms of audio, visual, and textual expression. Whether through intimate solo sets, concise poetry, colorful illustration, or haunting costume design, Wishbone Zoe uses whatever medium available as an outlet to convey her ideas. Her latest release, French of the Bird, takes an eclectic and sporadic dive into the sonic realm of Kochanski’s mind. This is highlighted by Maxshh, who provides explosive percussion to many tracks.
The album’s beautiful and entrancing patchwork of repeated phrases, looping harmonies, and tight drums rides a line somewhere between solemn noise rock and lighthearted, dancey grooves. Towards the end of “Holy Yell/Mandlebrot Jive,” Kochanski’s breathy and pleasant melody proclaims, “Your art will never love you back,” so why not do whatever you want with it? Push it wherever you please. Don’t commit to a consistent style or genre. The album’s first single “Drivedrivedrive” lives by this mantra (and is, of course, accompanied by a self-directed, -performed, and -animated video). It interweaves the chanting, almost incantation-esque vocal approach taken by many of the album’s songs with swelling and furious drum beats.
French of the Bird will be available February 22, 2020 on Sad Cactus Records.