Written in 1956, the poem ‘A Boy’ by Pulitzer Prize winning poet John Ashbery introduces Thunder Lay Down In the Heart. Tignor recorded Ashbery himself as he recited the poem, which was read aloud from his Chelsea apartment, and it makes for an exciting and rare collaboration. On top of this, the strings swell, and despite the fact that these are the only words on an otherwise instrumental album, Thunder Lay Down In the Heart has plenty to say.

Boston ensemble A Far Cry create some shady, dramatic scenes within the music; the stringed orchestra provides the darker side to the poetry’s rosy opening. The title piece is narrated in three movements, and along with the strings a constant swirl of electronics can be heard, floating above and blending with the heated percussive flares. It’s a frenzied introduction that mirrors sharply the soft, swaying rhythm of the poem and its vocal delivery. The strings create striking, incisive rhythms, moving from one separate, inner phrase to another. The drum then kicks in, setting a faster pace that in turn helps to raise the stakes.