Martyna Basta’s 9 album picks for when words fail to express

Martyna basta's 9 album picks for when words fail to express

Martyna Basta is a musician, photographer, and journalist based in Kraków, Poland.

Trained as a classical guitarist for more than a decade, she recently traded her well-loved instrument for a synthesizer, moving towards a more tactile and experiential approach to creating music. Today, she works mainly with field recordings, classical instruments, voice, and electronic manipulation to capture sensible moments in sound.

We’re delighted to share that Martyna will be joining us as a creative writer, complementing our journal and newsletters with her sincere words and intuitive connection with sound. For her first contribution, she gifts us with 9 albums to listen to when words fail to express.

Maxwell Sterling - Turn of Phrase

I remember listening to this album for the very first time whilst I was riding a tram, thinking that there can’t be a better piece of music than this. It made everything around me so vivid and simply beautiful. With headphones in my ears, I was staring out the window in awe with a wild smile on my face like a lucky fool.

Cucina Povera - Dalmarnock tapes

I put this cassette on my little SONY TCM-939 player every time I come back home lately, then I light a candle, which slowly illuminates the room as it gets darker and darker. Everything is just ready to be.

Nate Scheible - Fairfax

It won’t be a lie if I say that With Any Kind Of Luck makes me cry every single time I give it a listen. Feels overwhelming to think that what we’re hearing is someone’s audible diary that Scheible found in a thrift store, delicately taking care of it and giving it a second life. It’s such a touching record. It doesn’t just accompany the background of everyday life; it puts it in front of the whole picture. Maybe that’s why I dose myself in listening to it so much?

Cocteau Twins - Victorialand

Once I was going through a really dark April and May, even though these months are rather supposed to be lucky with spring coming and everything starting to bloom. So I was listening to Throughout The Dark Months Of April And May like crazy. Every time I think about this album, I recall it as something which somehow saved me.

Kali Malone - Living Torch

I gave this album a listen a few days after its release, when I was on a train coming back to Kraków from a two-week long vacation at the seaside. I couldn’t listen to any music while I was there. The waves, the squeaking seagulls, and the silence of woods seemed to be enough. Living Torch was the very first piece that I listened to after this long break. It felt almost like an ecstasy. Made me glad to be back.

Maria w Horn - Kontrapoetik

This album accompanied me once when I was walking around an empty park at dawn. I sat on a bench and started to stare at trees. It felt truly intimate to gaze at each other, then Inverts came on and it seemed like they started screaming.

Roberto Musci - Tower of Silence

I couldn’t count how many times I put Lullabies… Mother Sings… Father Plays… on repeat. But I know for sure there’s going to be another one.

HTRK - Venus In Leo

The main thing that makes me feel happy when summer is gone is that I can finally get back to listening to those few records that are impossible to listen to when the sun is over your head. Luckily, with every day now, the sun sets earlier and earlier, so there is more and more time in the day to listen to HTRK.