Akin by Richard Allan Bates & Chow Junyi

Closely related in the string family, the cello and double bass share many sonic characteristics, partly separated by timbre. Recorded in mono on a single microphone, Richard Allan Bates (double bass) and Chow Junyi (cello) set out to challenge this relationship through a set of improvised pieces. There are moments where the tonal differences are obvious, then converge into a singular sound: intertwining and overlapping, symbiotic and akin to one another.

The song titles are phrases taken from Ian McEwan’s novel The Cement Garden. Four children attempt to live on their own after the loss of both parents, the home deteriorating into squalor before they’re able to find a balance only understood by siblings.

Tracklist

1.	The ambulance men tucked him up	1:49

2.	No one ever came to visit / A dark halo throbbed	4:36

3.	The eyes small and tired-looking with pale, almost invisible lashes	1:59

4.	Suspicious of the paintings of dinosaurs	1:42

5.	A great fissure opened up	5:49

6.	Mother lay surrounded by magazines and library books	4:56

7.	It would seem hostile to look elsewhere	1:34

8.	So unexpectedly violent	6:16

9.	Significance drained from the event of the day	1:03

10.	Reading and rereading the masterpieces of world literature	1:24

11.	Two apples and two oranges	3:11

12.	The radio was playing louder	1:14

13.	The trunk looked like it had been kicked	3:53

14.	Like a peach stone (arms, legs, necks and tongues)	2:54

15.	A revolving blue light made a spinning pattern on the wall	4:49

Credits

released September 6, 2024

Richard Allan Bates - double bass
Chow Junyi - cello

Cover art by Sin Way Chyuan

Recorded 5 Aug 2024

License