When asked about her recent time spent in the music residency at the Banff Centre, Faye Mallett says, “a song emerged”. A song titled “Falcon” that is evolving and continuing to grow. Mallett is currently working on developing it into a choral piece with plans to further develop it into a short film. After spending time with her, however, I find that even more has come of her time in Banff.
Mallett collects sounds, a lot of sounds. She shares that when she got to the Banff Center, they gave her the key to the music room saying, “take whatever you want” (to which she thought, “Are you kidding me?”). Excited about access to what she calls the “library of instruments,” Mallett recorded her exploration of orchestral and timpani drums, the marimba, tubular bells, the vibraphone, chimes, and any other percussive object she could get her hands on.
Since Banff, Mallett spent the spring and summer outside of Nelson, British Columbia working on her new solo project titled House of Rain. She composes using the sounds she collected while at Banff along with a combination of electronic and organic instruments, materials derived from percussion, and her own vocals, incorporating film and cinematic directions with each song as well. The music is captivating, atmospheric, and sincere. While listening, I no longer hear just a wonderful emerging artist, I hear hard work paying off.
Listen to Faye Mallett’s music:
Photos by Angela Fama.
