Jarboe Releases Sightings, Her 55th Career Album

Sightings is Jarboe's 33rd solo album and 55th album overall. Inspired by a red-eyed vireo she heard at her home in Roswell, Georgia, she built a minimalist soundscape by adding backing vocals and electronic tones to a recording of the bird. Thor Harris and members of Father Murphy contributed strings, guitar, percussion and wind instruments.

The album's tracks include Vireo Serenade, followed by Choir And Night Fox, The Holy Waters Sangha and Francesca Sun. Jarboe described Sightings as a work celebrating the continuation of Francesca Sundsten's work.

Jarboe's musical approach centers on combining different worlds without adhering to a single recognizable style. She created the 1984 cassette work Walls using effects units and an old reel-to-reel tape recorder. Michael Gira invited her to join Swans as a vocalist and keyboardist, and Jarboe said her musical education and experience as a choir singer contributed to the group's focus on melodies and different sounds.

Jarboe praised Pink Floyd's production, varied sounds, time changes and atmospheres. After Swans' first breakup, she returned to solo work and released the 1998 album Anhedoniac.