Experimental cellist and sound artist Lia Kohl has announced her new album, Various Small Whistles and a Song, set for release on November 14 via Dauw. Following acclaimed works like Normal Sounds and The Ceiling Reposes, the album marks a playful yet profound new venture in Kohl’s practice of transforming the everyday into quietly revelatory music.
The album takes direct inspiration from Ed Ruscha’s 1964 artist book, Various Small Fires and Milk, a “wondrous celebration of the ordinary.” Mirroring the book’s structure—15 images of fire and one of milk—Kohl refashions 15 recordings of whistles and one song into micro-compositions. Each vignette serves as a window into a distinct world, infused with the same deadpan humour and subtle depth found in Ruscha’s photographs.
Today, you can hear a three-track preview, one of which features claire rousay. The suite guides listeners from the bustling streets of China to the home of Los Angeles experimentalist claire rousay, and finally to Kohl’s own kitchen in Chicago.
“Penny Whistle Seller, Guangzhou” originates from a recording Kohl made while touring with a puppet theatre company in 2017. “This woman was playing and selling penny whistles on the street,” Kohl recalls. “I just loved how it sounded—she’s playing and talking almost at the same time.” The next track, “Home, Los Angeles,” began from a call Kohl made to friends and collaborators who also work with field recordings. “I was glad to get one from claire rousay—her work with field recordings is so personal and particular. Some people recorded things specifically for me, but I think this one was something claire already had, of her practicing different kinds of whistles.” The suite concludes with “My Kitchen, Chicago,” recorded as a group of friends experimented with making hand ocarinas after dinner. “I recorded the moment when we finally figured it out,” Kohl shares.
Talking about her choice of material, Kohl explains: “I’ve always been captivated by whistling—it’s musical but often a bit unconscious; usually solo but often done in public places. There’s something tender and human about hearing someone whistle, a socially acceptable version of hearing their mind wander.”
She builds on these human moments by layering the field recordings with synthesizers, cello, drum loops, and toy instruments, crafting a rich sonic tapestry. Featuring guest contributions from a close community of collaborators, including claire rousay, Macie Stewart, and Patrick Shiroishi, Various Small Whistles and a Song promises to be a warm and profoundly human reflection on the sounds we often overlook, and the humour and mundanity reflected in Ruscha’s work.
Kohl will celebrate the release with a hometown album show at Constellation in Chicago on November 14th, followed by a listening party at TUSK on November 16th.
Pre-Order Various Small Whistles and a Song: https://liakohl.bandcamp.com/album/various-small-whistles-and-a-song