Emily Rach Beisel released their sophomore album Sumptuous Branching via avant-garde label Amalgam on April 10, 2026. The album informed partly by late medieval chant and its use of intertwining voices and a kind of organic sonic architecture free of the strictures of codified modern music theory and expectations on the part of the artist and listener. Beisel is a Chicago-based composer, improviser, educator, curator and specialist in woodwinds known for commanding and visceral live performances in which they employ extended technoque in vocals and instrumentals with analog electronics as part of the musical pieces. The album has an entrancing enigmatic quality with an expansive heaviness balanced with a keen sense of emotional atmospherics. While working on the album Beisel was reading Mark Z. Danielewski’s 2000 album House of Leaves and for the track “Cantilevers” in particular the novel’s lack of conventional resolution and a suggestion of endless pathways of endless varieties finds a parallel with Beisel’s idea of a chant in which the distinct voices often begin together but go along to their natural trajectories. Beisel conceived of the album as a set of songs that had a unified quality that could be performed live as a solo artist. Listening to the album one can hear the challenge of presenting the material live with its complex layers and rhythms yet it also feels of a piece that tells a story of a mythical journey of personal transformation through audacious creative action. Fans of Sun Ra’s more out there synth explorations and Popol Vuh’s more cosmic folk and drone leanings will deeply appreciate Beisel’s cinematic compositions and their willingness to go off standard musical paths. Sumptuous Branching is out now on limited vinyl, digital download and streaming.
Listen to our interview with Emily Rach Beisel on Bandcamp and follow the artist at the links below.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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