A Fine Companion

A Fine Companion is an album of newly-composed settings of troubadour songs and texts, written in a dream-pop/shoegaze/psychedelic rock style for an amplified combination of medieval and new instruments.

Person holding a glass display case with a glowing blue and beige butterfly inside.

The texts of this project were chosen by Charles Mueller (composer) and the ensemble, with a focus on troubadour lyrics that expand or refute the standard tropes of chivalrous love by choosing poems from a feminine perspective, and by delving into the metaphysical and spiritual subsets of the genre. The unbridled sensuality of the arrangements create space for a raw experience that inspires a visceral reaction in the listener. Mueller has used pre-existing troubadour music as a melodic and modal prompt on a number of pieces, with direct quotations organically morphing as if in an inspired game of telephone.

““Re-contextualizing 12th-century texts and melodies into a package of psychedelic synth-pop could seem a bit of a stretch. Alkemie’s latest project somehow makes it seem perfectly natural.” ”
— Early Music America
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A group of people in a dark room with musical instruments and electronic equipment, some seated and some standing, appearing to participate in a collaborative music session or photoshoot.
A woman with brown hair and a fair complexion, wearing a black sheer dress and floral jewelry, seated on a chair with an ornate wallpaper background, holding a small glass of wine in one hand, a book on her lap with a white rat sitting on it, and a decorative necklace with flowers and a butterfly.
A man with a beard and brown hair holding a face mask with a hand-drawn bird face, sitting in front of floral wallpaper.

Tracy Cowart

voice, harps, hurdy-gurdy, percussion

Jim Hopkins

synthesizers, Rhodes, harmonium

Cameron LeCrone

drum set

Ben Matus

voice, recorders, dulcian, hümmelchen, ukelele

Charles Mueller

composer, guitar, bass guitar, glockenspiel

Sian Ricketts

voice, douçaines, recorders

A woman with shoulder-length auburn hair wearing a green satin dress and a white fur stole sitting against a dark floral patterned background, holding an orange in her right hand and an orange peel in her left hand.
A person with short brown hair, wearing a floral dress and hoop earrings, stands in front of floral wallpaper, holding an hourglass with blue sand.
A man with long brown hair and wearing vintage clothing holds a large, dried mushroom and sits in front of a dark, botanical-patterned background.
A man with a beard and short hair sitting on a chair, wearing a green button-up shirt with money in his shirt pocket, holding a molar-sized chunk of ginger in his hand, with a floral wallpaper background.
A woman with wavy silver hair and light skin, dressed in an orange dress, sitting on a white armchair, holding a glass display case with a glowing blue butterfly inside, against a dark floral patterned background.
A man with long hair, a beard, and glasses, wearing a black shirt, sits with one hand on a typewriter and the other on his hip against an intricate gold and black patterned background.

Composed by Charles Mueller.
Produced by Tracy Cowart, Charles Mueller, and Sian Ricketts.
Engineered by Charles Mueller.
Mastered by Mike Tierney.
Recorded at Tiny Panther Recording, Mount Vernon NY, March 2022.
Published by BMI.
Photography by Anja Schutz.
Cover art and design by Haeg Design.
© 2023 • BSTV-0195 • brightshiny.ninja •

Niccolo Seligmann

vielles, viola a chiavi, psaltery, gittern, viola da gamba, percussion

Ellie Sutherland

voice