Red velvet curtains draw back to reveal a cosmic wheel of fortune, floating in the deep blackstarstudded theater of infinite space. A whirl of timbres, personalities, and stories. The Turning Wheel
revolves around themes of human unity, the future, divine love and the enigmatic ups and downs of
being a part of this carnival called Life.
Venturing to push the boundaries of her primarily synth-based work, SPELLLING took on the
ambitious task of orchestrating and self-producing an album that features an ensemble of 31collaborating musicians. The Turning Wheel incorporates a vast range of rich acoustic sounds that cast
SPELLLING's work into vibrant new dimensions. The double LP is split into two halves - "Above"
and "Below." Lush string quartet shimmer combines with haunting banjo and wandering bassoon
leads, as the album progresses from the more jubilant, warm, and dreamy mood of the "Above"
tracks to the more chilling and gothic tone of the "Below" tracks. This progression is anchored by
SPELLLING's familiar bewitching vocal style that emphasizes the theatrical and folkloric heart of
her songwriting.
The Turning Wheel demonstrates a distinct evolution of lyrical style, from the more incantatory and
abbreviated approach of her previous work to a more expansive, narrative production. The Turning
Wheel is a manifestation of this considerable effort, time, and collaborative energy and will surely
become a classic for it's elegance. And while the artist's eclectic influences, from soul to psych to pop
to noise, remain present, something entirely new has also been born in the cosmic soup of this massive undertaking: a grand and genreless adventure. One that allows the artist's authenticity to shine
and also marks her as a conduit for something with a magic of it's own.
Sacred Bones is now repressing the critically acclaimed The Turning Wheel in a bunch of new colors
in celebration of the label's 15th year anniversary
