Fans of experimental and noise music, rejoice! Michael Briggs — who must be one of the busiest musicians in town — has collaborated with Jenny Seman (of Shiny Around The Edges) and Karl Roehling (of Hex Cult) to form Marigold Memory, an improvisational noise trio. The eponymous three-track album is available for purchase today on a pay-what-you-want basis. Buying the album comes with an additional perk: in solidarity with the efforts of activists and indigenous communities in North Dakota, Marigold Memory will donate all proceeds to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Defense Fund.

Marigold Memory is three tracks long. Although the album clocks in at just 23 minutes, it contains enough mood and force to feel much longer, which is a great thing — the project is almost meditative in the way it deploys voice, drums, and everything else. Seman’s sultry, ambient vocal melodies are a stark contrast to the more angular (and often incoherent) vocal effects sprinkled throughout. The album also possesses a great deal of atmosphere. Several moments are punctuated by noises whose sources are difficult to pin down: for example, the opening effects in “Sky” might be shuffling bird wings, the steam from a train, rain on a tin roof, or maybe just Briggs’ aptitude for creating sounds with only a mouth and microphone. The songs never lose their primary structure, even when a fuzzed-out saxophone threatens to rip a track apart or all noise devolves into snowlike static. Although each track begins in a unique place (“Fire” is anxious from the start, while “Water” is soothing at first), they all lead to the same dissonant, pensive headspace that begs for reflection. Listen to Marigold Memory long enough, and you’ll begin to make associations of your own.

According to Bandcamp, Marigold Memory was recorded live with no post-mixing just a few weeks ago. To get the full effect of the band’s work, we recommend that you catch them live at their first show Monday, November 21st at RBC in Dallas. Don’t forget that if you would like to support the #noDAPL movement, you can purchase this album by naming your own price.

Header image design by Brittany Keeton