Claire Rousay

★★★★ Everything Perfect Is Already Here SHELTER-PRESS. CD/DL/LP

Snippets of life and tranquil melody help celebrate everyday pleasures.

The work of San Antoniobased experimental artist Claire Rousay is stitched together from a variety of sources – field recordings, ambient synths, gossamerlight orchestration, and snatches of conversation – with great dexterity and imbued with a comforting, familiar glow. Across a brace of super-sized movements (mere ‘tracks’ does them a disservice), Rousay unfurls a vignette of her life, her ever-present Zoom H5 recorder playing a leading role. Briefly, in the

distance you’ll hear the metronomic beep-beep of a truck reversing. There’s the crackle of a log fire – or could it be something as prosaic as the rustling of a bag – then in drifts muted harp or a gorgeous string melody. Everything Perfect Is Already Here

avoids emotional overload, instead offering solace and a loving embrace, a haven of calm and normality.