
The Withered Grasses is actually two distinct pieces. The first, from which the disc takes its title, is a slowly evolving suite in which a whispering, microtonal narrative is shattered by searing, percussive outbursts, mournfully reconstructed in the final movement. The second, "For:" is a unique piece in Rainey's recorded output: an overdubbed array of small saxophone noises made large. Something like "Cartridge Music" at your high school prom.