Limited double vinyl LP pressing. 2015 release, the fourth album by the Vancouver-born and New York-based acclaimed cellist. Julia Kent rose to prominence with Rasputina and Antony & The Johnsons. Her extensive résumé includes recent work with Swans, Aidan Baker, Rachel Grimes, Rutger Zuydervelt, Barbara Morgenstern, Library Tapes and Khan of Finland. As the title suggests, this is a record born of conflict: internal, personal and global. Universal themes. The build of pressure and the threat of violent release. Modern guilt. Modern fears. Kent draws from a rich well of emotion, the pieces deceptively rendered, each feeling like a miniature dramatic epic in its own right-sculpted and self-contained. Her work on recent film scores is very much in evidence. While cinematic in scope, there is no trite Hollywood ending here. There is tension and darkness, the edges cracked and frayed. Asperities was recorded, produced and mixed in its entirety by the artist in her New York studio. Looped cello, electronics and found sounds create a world where the technological and the organic merge in perfect symbiosis, the layers of sound peeling back to reveal a beating, bloody human heart at its center. Throughout the plaintive strains of opener "Hellebore," the prowling grace of "The Leopard," the elegant restraint of "Heavy Eyes" and the immersive closer "Tramontana," Kent's cello evokes romance and loss, a yearning for simplicity. This is the soundtrack to the transitory nature of life and the inevitability of death.
Release date:
February 8, 2019
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Vinyl Care - Top Picks
A selection of accesories to keep your turntable equipment & vinyl records in the best shape
-
Denon DP-400
Featuring a high-precision, belt-driven mechanism and an adjustable tonearm that ensures optimal tracking and minimal resonance
-
Edifier R1280DB Powered Speakers
Combining classic design with modern Bluetooth connectivity, built-in amplification and versatile inputs, these speakers deliver rich, balanced sound.
-
Phono Preamps - Top Picks
A selection of the best phono preamps for your turntable setup
-
Nagaoka MP-110H Cartridge
Features a high-quality elliptical stylus that provides excellent tracking and minimizes distortion, delivering a detailed sound reproduction with an output voltage of 5.0 mV
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
Grinderman Grinderman Eco
Bmg
July 18, 2025 -
Wolf Alice The Clearing (Amazon Exclusive Edition)
Rca Records
August 29, 2025 -
Mike Polizze Around Sound
Paradise Bachelors
July 25, 2025 -
Zach Top Ain't In It For My Health [2xLP]
Leo33
August 29, 2025 -
The Teskey Brothers Live At The Hammersmith Apollo
Glassnote Music
July 11, 2025 -
Ruston Kelly Pale, Through the Window (Deco Green; Signed Insert)
Rounder
September 12, 2025 -
Hunx and His Punx Walk Out On This World
Get Better Records
August 22, 2025 -
Pig Pen Mental Madness
Flatspot Records
June 27, 2025 -
Debby Friday The Starrr of the Queen of Life
Sub Pop
August 1, 2025 -
Jessica Winter My First Album (Transparent Black)
Lucky Number
July 11, 2025 -
Andrew Lloyd Webber SUNSET BLVD: The Album Nicole Scherzinger Edition [3xLP]
The Other Songs RecordsThe Other Songs R
July 25, 2025 -
The Shame Cutthroat
Dead Oceans
September 5, 2025 -
Bleary Eyed Easy
Born Losers Records
July 25, 2025 -
Gina Birch Trouble
Third Man Records
July 11, 2025