Diane Birch – Nous

I don’t have time for a proper review – that will have to wait until Saturday, sad to say. But Nous, the new extended-play from the pastor of the Church of Birch is simply hypnotic. It opens with “Hymn for Hypatia,” a short piece that conjures stained glass, pews and confessionals, which segues into “How Long,” the first in a string of moody songs that smolder like a soul on fire. Uptempo is out, in other words, and intensity is in. “Stand Under My Love” is amazing. Here’s a version she posted to YouTube last month –

The set, which she produced herself, is available for purchase (for $5) directly from her Bandcamp page – as MP3s, AACs, FLAC, ALAC or WAV files.  The FLAC, ALAC and WAV files are 24-bit/48 kHZ, I should mention; I went with the ALAC – sounds amazing on my Pono Player. (You can also stream the music via the Bandcamp app.)