Some of the most affecting moments of Lore City‘s Alchemical Task are its quietest. To wit, “Beyond Done” shimmers gorgeously behind duly exhausted-sounding minimal incantations, and the stretch of drift that one encounters during the long fadeout only seems to emphasize the point. Post-rock is a foundation here, but the Portland, Oregon-based two-piece of Laura Mariposa Williams and Eric Angelo Bessel stretch with progressive intention beyond simple classifications, imbuing this third LP with a sense of soul as well as purposeful expression, keyboards setting landscapes behind Williams‘ vocals on an extended track like “It’s All Happening,” which stretches near the 10-minute mark and, tellingly, is the band’s chosen first single.

You can stream it below, and if it helps, consider this a shove toward doing so. Alchemical Task is more breadth than weight, but there’s something refreshing in the vastness the duo conjure, and the mists that seem to roll along there.

PR wire info follows here:

Alchemical Task by Lore City

Over there, plans were made to come here, knowing it’s an erasure. A divvying up. Alone and together. In the playing of the game, tied up in knots of forgetting. Yet the wheel always turns back ‘round, opening a remembrance. Archetypal processes maneuvering through infinite combinations, falling into lockstep. A transmutation of energy. The sounds of memory, the colors shimmering, the symbols appearing. Experiencing subjectivity through the daily dulling, we are the universal to-do list. The only way is through—this is our Alchemical Task.

The release of Alchemical Task marks the return of Lore City. The album’s forty-two minutes reveal songs buried so deep in the soul, they took nearly six years of exploration to coax forth.

Following the release of their second album, Kill Your Dreams, Lore City travelled westward, where seclusion and transformation took hold. Quietly, a home studio was constructed.

In 2019, Alchemical Task materialized during the astrological seasons of Scorpio and Sagittarius. Alchemical Task is a collection of songs to transport, songs to recall, and songs to be certain—there is something greater happening here.

Tracklisting:
1. Separateness
2. It’s All Happening
3. Beacon of Light
4. Into Your Blue
5. Beyond Done
6. Don’t Be Afraid

Alchemical Task was written, arranged, and produced by Lore City.

All songs* recorded October, November, and December 2019 at Lore City’s studio in Portland, Oregon.

*Percussion on Separateness, as well as percussion, keyboard, and guitar on It’s All Happening, recorded March 2017 by Josh Powell at The Map Room in Portland, Oregon.

All songs mixed December 2019 by Jason Powers in Portland, Oregon.

Alchemical Task was mastered January 2020 by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering in Chicago, Illinois.

Album artworks, Alchemy, and Points of Reference, created 2019 and 2020 by Nancy L. Greco in Collinsville, Connecticut.

Alchemical Task releases October 2020 by Lore City Music.

Lore City is:
Laura Mariposa Williams (vocals, keyboard)
Eric Angelo Bessel (percussion, keyboard, guitar)

https://www.lorecitymusic.com/
https://lorecity.bandcamp.com/

Lore City, “It’s All Happening”

Lore City, Alchemical Task (2020)