No instruments... and it's about vowels? Kathy Kennedy’s “Vowel Jams”

Описание: Kathy Kennedy – Vowel Jams, release date: October 31 2025
Available now via Bandcamp: https://kathykennedy.bandcamp.com/alb... 

About the album:

Kathy Kennedy, based in Montréal and Québec’s Gaspé region, presents her first solo vocal recording after 30+ years of work as a community sound-artist and choral director. 

Vowel Jams is a fully a cappella album — layered solo voice, loop pedal, minimal processing, occasional field-recordings — everything built around the voice, the vowel, the texture of sound. 
Influences include the acoustic-ecology philosophy of R. Murray Schafer and the deep-listening practice of Pauline Oliveros. 

Kennedy describes the album as a move toward “just making the sounds I like” after a long period of large-scale installations and community projects. 

What to listen for:
• The opening "Howooh" track uses looping and vocal-effects so convincingly you might think you hear strings or cello — but it’s all voice. (Interview clip at 01:56)
• “Lololo” features water-field recordings and improvisation rooted in her childhood on the Atlantic coast of Québec. (Track intro at ~15:49)
• “Owayo” is basically an exploration of vowels, the shapes of the vocal tract, and how our mouths make sound (track starts around 26:10).
• There are no traditional song-lyrics; instead the voice is treated as instrument, texture, landscape.

Why this is a must-listen:
• This album bridges art-sound, voice experimentation, and accessible listening in a rare way. It’s both intellectual (with theory behind it) and playful (you can hum along).
• It rejects easy genre labels — neither noise, nor dance, nor purely classical — and sits in that sweet zone for those who like weird music done well.
• If you’re a fan of vocal improvisation, loop-based vocal layering (think of work by the likes of Crystal Beth) or ambient voice-sound art, this is very fresh.

Get it here:
📥 Download/stream & order physical CD + booklet via Bandcamp: https://kathykennedy.bandcamp.com/alb... 

Bonus / physical edition info:
• The CD version includes a booklet/zine of drawings by Kathy that accompany each track — she started in visual art and these sketches map the sound world. 
• The booklet includes a download code so you still get digital files. 
• Price noted in the interview: CA$10 for download (≈US$7). 


00:00 “Howooh”
01:56 Opening track discussion: “Almost entirely vocals”
02:18 Discussion of pedal/voice loading / album concept
04:12 Kathy on her career, community sound art, doing this album now
06:01 Recording process: looper, improv, field-recordings, editing
07:52 Inspiration: feminist choir work, media-centre, stepping into solo work
12:15 Industry boxes, genre-free art
15:49 Intro to track “Lololo” – water recordings, coast of Québec
21:46 Pre-order & pricing info (CD+book, download)
23:28 The booklet/zine: sketches that map to the music, physical object
26:10 Intro to track “Owayo” – vowels, mouth-shapes, voice as instrument

-----

Join Club Weird for exclusive access to members-only content:
   / @makeweirdmusic  

Make Weird Music exists to encourage musicians and music enthusiasts to expand their creative horizons through interviews, educational content, and sharing of artistic music. If that resonates with you, then check out our website: http://makeweirdmusic.com/

Please consider donating to the cause by liking/following/subscribing and submitting content, ideas, money, buying a t-shirt, or even hooking us up with some weird musician contacts! http://makeweirdmusic.com/shop

We're on all the social medias:
  / makeweirdmusic  
  / makeweirdmusic  
  / makeweirdmusic