Janel and Anthony - Where is Home (Cuneiform, 2012)

Janel and Anthony are a duo consisting of cellist Janel Leppin and guitarist Anthony Priog. They combine with the benefit of some electronics and loops to create a sound world all their own, falling in-between the cracks of jazz, classical and cinematic music. “Big Sur” opens with a deeply felt bass line and some jangly guitar. Developing into an electric prog-rock type section where Lepin’s cello swoops and glides with a vaguely Middle Eastern sounding voice, combining with solid electric guitar. The next few tracks combine into a medley of slow and spooky soundscapes, eerie and textural. “Lily in the Garden” features ghostly slow guitar and cello that ebbs and flows like the tide, slow and probing with a ravishing sound. “Mustang Song” evokes a spare desert landscape with the duo’s eclectic music drawing on a sense of wariness as if from a long trip. This was an unusual and enigmatic album, created as if the sounds are coming from a hall of mirrors where nothing is as it seems. Fans of outsider music and post-rock experiments should consider this worth their while. Where Is Home - amazon.com

Send comments to Tim.