Kelsey Mines - To Actually Create Everywhere

​Kelsey Mines

To Actually Create Everywhere
 Relative Pitch Records; 2022

By Matt Jensen

Kelsey Mines is an artist and bassist from Seattle, WA, who recently released To Actually Create Everywhere. Mines has an impressive background in music and tours nationally and internationally with groups including ings, NYGASP and the Hollywood Concert Orchestra. Mines mentions “music itself is an experiential manifestation of what it means to create everywhere, uninhibited, through joyful expression free from expectations.”

To Actually Create Everywhere contains three songs which average to around fifteen minutes in length. I will say off the bat these are experimental songs. If you are looking for songs that have catchy hooks and a fun beat to dance to this will not be for you. On the other hand if you are looking for something a little more challenging this might be your cup of tea.

The first song is called “Introduction” and it starts with what sounds like an upright bass. It didn’t take me long to appreciate the technical skills of Mines. The recordings felt raw and intimate and I could even hear breathing noises. There’s a cascade of notes and transitions. A little after the four-minute mark you get what I would call vocal expressions. There aren’t any lyrics and something about the vocal expressions did feel spontaneous. I’m not sure if it was improvised but that was the feeling I was getting. Around the seven-minute mark the vocal expressions sounded pretty close to a variant of yodeling The song goes in different directions but stays minimalistic. 

“Movement I” contains a lot more instrumentation and feels more cinematic to me. I loved how the song uses space to create a sense of tension. The horns sounded fantastic here which are surrounded by percussion. There’s a lot of different emotions in this song to my ear. I was feeling some melancholy and also a sense I was trying to figure something out. There’s some solo poetic spoken word about halfway through the song before the instrumentation comes back in. I enjoyed the somewhat disparate sounding parts and how they came together. The song becomes very minimalistic towards the end and still as if it could pick up the slightest sound.

“Movement II” was my favorite piece of music. The emotions felt a little more centered and gave me a similar feeling I get when listening to Sigur Rós. There’s some beautiful moments here which cover you in a sense of solace.  Similar to the previous song there’s spoken word. There’s also some more playful moments in this song. I liked the kinetic momentum around the eight-minute mark.

​To Actually Create Everywhere is an impressive release. It’s avant garde, free jazz style blends well with contemporary classical. This to me is the release you appreciate most if you delve deep into the music. I suggest getting comfortable, perhaps get your favorite beverage and immerse yourself into these complex but engaging songs. Recommended.

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