Lost Coast by Gabriella Smith, Gabriel Cabezas

"NPR Music's 26 Favorite Albums Of 2021 (So Far)"
NPR Music
June 30, 2021

Gabriella Smith/Gabriel Cabezas, Lost Coast

Inspired by California coastal woodlands ravaged by wildfires, Lost Coast is a paean to nature, an expression of outrage and a celebration of the close-knit bonds among its makers: composer Gabriella Smith, cellist Gabriel Cabezas and producer Nadia Sirota. The titular composition began life as a concerto, but then transformed into a rangy threnody for cello, voice and electronics; "Bard of a Wasteland," the buoyant album-opening ballad, breaks new ground for everyone involved.—Steve Smith