photo by Shawn Lucas
Exploratory music portal Avant Music News presents an exclusive stream of Sumptuous Branching, the alluring second LP from Chicago-based soloist EMILY RACH BEISEL, ahead of its release this Friday on Chicagoâs experimental label Amalgam.
EMILY RACH BEISEL is an improviser, composer, educator, curator, and woodwind specialist. Known for visceral performances, blending extended vocal and instrumental techniques with analogue electronics, their music centers on the bass clarinet and incorporates voice, electronics, extended techniques, and other wind instruments creating a complex and nuanced soundscape in which the origins of sounds are often obscured. A Jazz Noise wrote, “heavy stuff, sounds retrieved from the deeper places⦠BEISEL pokes around in the sonic depths and brings leviathans out to play.â BEISEL holds a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University, is a member of the American Federation of Musicians Local 10-208 and is honored to be a 2024 3Arts Awardee in Music.
Sumptuous Branching sees EMILY RACH BEISEL performing all music, with bass clarinet, vocals, piccolo, and electronics coalescing in a singular, intriguing, somewhat theatrical flow. The album was recorded at Marmalade in Chicago by Bill Harris, mixed by Harris and BEISEL, mastered by Edward Hamel, and completed with artwork by mrfox.img and design by Harris and BEISEL.
The movements captured on Sumptuous Branching were inspired by the likes of Emily Wilsonâs new translation of Homerâs The Iliad, Guillaume de Machautâs La Messe de Nostre Dame â the first complete, unified setting of the Mass â and Mark Z. Danielewskiâs House Of Leaves.
BEISEL reveals, “Sumptuous Branching is meant to feel like entering an altered, psychologically charged space that resists fixed interpretation. Ambiguity is central, inviting listeners to construct their own meaning and engage their imagination. No single moment defines the record, its meaning emerges through accumulation, contrast, and transformation over time. Though it branches in many directions the thread of chant runs throughout â to me this is a solo record that honors the ways we all contain multitudes.”
Hear EMILY RACH BEISELâs immersive Sumptuous Branching in its entirety first only through Avant Music News at THIS LOCATION.
Sumptuous Branching will be released on LP and digital platforms through Amalgam this Friday, April 10th. Find preorders at Bandcamp HERE and the label webshop HERE, and watch the performance videos for âCantileversâ HERE and âHer Still Singing Limbsâ HERE.
EMILY RACH BEISEL launches her Midwest tour supporting the album this week, with bursts of dates running from April 9th through May 11th, including a hometown release show for the album on the day of the albumâs release this Friday with Mute Duo. See the confirmed dates below and expect additional live updates over the weeks ahead.
EMILY RACH BEISEL Sumptuous Branching Midwest Release Tour 2026:
4/09/2026 Harper College â Palatine, IL
4/10/2026 Constellation â Chicago, IL * Record Release Show w/ Mute Duo [tickets]
4/26/2026 Woodland Pattern â Milwaukee, WI
4/29/2026 Ziggyâs â Ypsilanti, MI
4/30/2026 Tranzac â Toronto, ON w/ Patrick O’Reilly
5/01/2026 Zula Presents â Hamilton, ON
5/02/2026 Sellers & Newel â Toronto, ON
5/03/2026 Hallwalls â Buffalo, NY
5/04/2026 Trinosophes â Detroit, MI
5//07/2026 Rozz Tox â Rock Island, IL
5/08/2026 PS1 â Iowa City, IA
5/09/2026 Carnegie Art Center â Mankato, MN
5/10/2026 The Pattern Room â Minneapolis, MN w/ Liz Draper
5/11/2026 University of Minnesota â Minneapolis, MN
5/12/2026 Art Lit Lab â Madison, WI
photo by Peter Gannushkin
https://www.emilybeisel.com
https://emilyrachbeisel.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/beisel_m_
https://www.amalgamusic.org
https://www.instagram.com/amalgam_chicago
https://www.facebook.com/amalgamusic
The post EMILY RACH BEISEL: Avant Music News Hosts Exclusive Stream Of Sumptuous Branching, The Second LP By Chicago Experimental Woodwind Composer; Album Out This Friday On Amalgam + Midwest Tour Begins first appeared on Earsplit Compound.
