Where poetry meets experimental sound: Barry Schwabsky and Marianne Nowottny turn spoken verse into sonic architecture.

A Voice Hears You From Mysterious Places is a singular, captivating collaboration between renowned art critic and poet Barry Schwabsky and celebrated avant-garde musician Marianne Nowottny. The album bridges the worlds of contemporary poetry, spoken word, and experimental sound art, transforming verse into a three-dimensional sonic architecture. Schwabsky's poems, replete with subtle linguistic turns, philosophical inquiry, and striking visual imagery are delivered with a measured, deliberate clarity. Rather than functioning as mere background accompaniment, Nowottny's intricate musical arrangements actively engage with the texts. Utilizing piano, electronic keyboard and processed electronics, Nowottny crafts evocative atmospheres that respond directly to the cadence and emotional contours of Schwabsky's poetry. The result is an ethereal dialog between word and sound where meaning lingers in the spaces between lines. Barry Schwabsky is an internationally acclaimed poet, art critic, and essayist. Best known as the longtime art critic for The Nation and a frequent contributor to Artforum, he has authored numerous books of art criticism and multiple collections of poetry. His literary work is celebrated for its intellectual rigor, lyrical economy, and sharp visual awareness. Marianne Nowottny is a visionary New York avant-garde composer, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Emerging from the underground art scene, she has built a cult following through a prolific, genre-defying discography spanning solo piano, electronic soundscapes, and experimental song cycles. A Voice Hears You From Mysterious Places stands as a document of interdisciplinary art, an essential listening experience for devotees of avant-garde poetry, modern composition, and underground spoken-word performance.

Track Listing

• A Calm Death
• Biopic (For Artie Gold or Syd Barrett
• The Sleep Of Pictures
• Miranda
• How to Ring Bells With a Hammer
• Inasmuch
• Sphere, Cone, Cylinder
• Deep Instructions
• And One Will Be Sent To you As Well
• Power of Speech (After Paul Éluard)
• False Positives
• Falling Asleep at the Movies
• Immigrant

Additional Details

Label: Abaton Book Company

Genre: Ambient/Experimental

Run Time: 25 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 11/06/26

UPC: 675130545921