Episode 194: Chris Rosenau (Volcano Choir / Pele)

Vinyl Emergency

In bands like Volcano Choir, Pele, Vermont and Collections of Colonies of Bees, guitarist Chris Rosenau has actively sought out a unique ambiguity. Whether through off-kilter tunings, a myriad of loop pedals or long-form improvisations in 130-degree heat, he says he finds his most interesting work comes from trusting others. And that trust has built fruitful creative relationships with enigmatic drummer Jon Mueller, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and Sylvan Esso's Nick Sanborn, among others. But in a career of disarming listeners through unexpected approaches, Chris admits his most quizzical move might be in the form of a recently-released debut solo album, where he's stripped everything back to one acoustic guitar, for a tender salute to his late mother. The album, titled 'a light that cracks through,' is now available at chrisrosenau.bandcamp.com. Follow @rosno on Instagram.