- A collection of odds-and-ends from the American harpist that captures her versatility and her vitality.
- Armed with just a harp and a Line 6 DL4 delay pedal, Mary Lattimore makes surreal ambient music. Raised in Asheville, North Carolina, Lattimore was pushed towards the instrument at age 11 by her mother, who also played. When she moved to Philadelphia as an adult, Lattimore started to make a name for herself. In the City Of Brotherly Love, she worked with artists like Kurt Vile, Thurston Moore and Arcade Fire. After another move, this time across the country to Los Angeles, Lattimore began focusing on her solo work, putting out records that were at once sparse and hypnotic. Following last year's Silver Ladders, a collaboration with Slowdive guitarist Neil Halstead, Lattimore is back with Collected Pieces II, a compilation of new and unreleased material, Bandcamp artifacts and other long-forgotten treasures from her dense catalog. Varied and expansive, it captures her well-rounded musicianship and emotive composition style.
Broadly speaking, there are two types of Mary Lattimore songs: smeared musical odysseys and nostalgic lullabies. Collected Pieces II has its fair share of each. Lattimore's work from 2014 to 2016 was zoned out and bleary, and you can hear the impact of that era on a handful of the record's tracks. With its wonky, detuned vocal samples and waterfalls of sound, "Polly Of The Circus" brings to mind a chilly, rose-tinted sunrise. Thanks to its otherworldly recording style, 2020's "What The Living Do" melds metallic chords and a dirge-like arrangement. Centered on muted strumming and cascading melodies, the sprawling "Be My Four Eyes" feels like the work of a drearier Alice Coltrane. Greyscale and introspective, the darker cuts assembled on Collected Pieces II make me imagine a chilly stroll around the grounds of a mysterious Victorian manor.
Collected Pieces II is also loaded with ambling, wordless freak folk. Inspired by an astronaut's homecoming, "For Scott Kelly, Returned To Earth" is ethereal, almost stoic. Lush and delicate, "Princess Nicotine" possesses a sunny charm. With its shimmering drones, "Mary You Were Right" approximates a motorik rhythm, even though it all comes from Lattimore's elegant harp plucking. Improvised during the early days of lockdown, the subtle notes on "We Wave From Our Boats" came to life after a day Lattimore spent walking around her neighborhood. The warmest moments on Collected Pieces II are human and inviting, and hold up alongside some of the more memorable tracks in her discography.
At times, it can be easy to forget that Collected Pieces II is an assemblage of oddities. The record is cohesive and consistently beautiful. The only time this spell is broken is on "Pine Trees (Home Recording)," a demo version of the 2020 Silver Ladders single. Hearing its familiar notes removed me from the record's hazy trance for just a few minutes. Lattimore's work feels like a science, and it's usually virtuosic enough to let the magic shine. As she gracefully dominates her eclectic niche, Lattimore is proving herself to be the great left-field harpist of our time.
Tracklist01. Mary You Were Wrong
02. For Scott Kelly, Returned To Earth
03. Sleeping Deer
04. We Wave From Our Boats
05. Princess Nicotine
06. Be My Four Eyes
07. What The Living Do
08. Pine Trees (Home Recording)
09. Polly Of The Circus