Except for a cappella singing, technology has always been a part of music, from early lyres and harps, to the complexity of pianos and organs, to the synthesizers of the last half century, to current artificial intelligence-generated music. The technology van be impressive, but it takes a creative musician to put it to use making worthwhile music.

This week, we have an artist who does exactly that using of a fairly recent bit of technology. Her name is Sarah Elstran, and she records and performer under the name The Nunnery. The technology in this case is electronic looping, names after tape loops that would go round and round on a tape recorder repeating the sound and perhaps building on it. The Beatles used looping, with some literal tape loops back in their date on some of their more innovative recordings. Multi-track tape machine have allowed musicians to play number of parts by building an orchestration one layer at at time., going back to the early recordings of Les Paul from the 1950s. For for those who would like to do that in real time, there area a number of audio looping boxes available, especially for guitarists and vocalists, which allow one to build layer by layer in real time as a segment of sound repeats over and over, creating a chorus of vocals by by adding one at a time.

There are some notable artists who make use of multitracking their vocals many times, including Bobby McFerrin, Jacob Collier and Imogen Heap. The Nunnery takes that seemingly a step further with an album this is almost entirely Sarah Elstran, singing almost all the parts the parts with lots of layered vocals, something she regularly does in real time with her loop machine, as shown on some of the video she has posted. With one hand-held microphone and a few hand percussion instruments, she creates almost orchestral arrangements.

Ms. Elstran is a resident of Eau Clare, Wisconsin, and says she had been writing songs since age 10. Ascension is about her fifth album, and it’s impressive in a number of ways, from the chorus of vocals, to the frequently atmospheric sound. There are occasional appearances by some conventional instruments, like a cello and some analog-sounding synthesizers. She also loops some sound effects to add interest, and in keeping with the album’s generally ethereal quality.

Opening the rather succinct 40-minute album is a piece called Ocean Chorus with a great example of the chorus of Ms. Elstran’s vocals, all right on key. It’s an appealing piece. <<>>

Similar in sound is Guardian of Your Heart one of the most lyrically-oriented tracks on the album. The arrangement is sophisticated, not letting the strictures and repetition of the looping process keep from making the track interesting musically. <<>>

A piece called My Name is one of a few love songs, and perhaps the most pop-oriented on the album, with its repeating chorus and bouncier rhythm. <<>>

On the other hand one of the more spacey tracks on the album is a piece called Go Where, with more of the impressive vocal layering and unconventional percussion. <<>>

Ascending, the title track, lives up to its name with its distinctly ethereal quality, with no lyrics, just a rich tapestry of angelic vocals by Ms. Elstran. <<>>

A contrast to that is a track called Finding Mystery which is decidedly electric-sounding, and also is a wordless vocal performance, augmented by some instruments, including drums and a spacey cello. <<>>

Peaches is one of the most interesting tracks on this quite distinctive record. It again features some percussion sounds, textures of vocals, and seemingly stream of consciousness lyrics. <<>>

The album ends with a kind of lullaby, Love Instead with appropriate lyrics, and more impressive multi-tiered by Ms. Elstran. <<>>

Ascending, the new album by the Nunnery, the musical persona of Sarah Elstran from Wisconsin, is fascinating recording showing that is the sort of ultimate realization of the potential of electronic looping techniques. Mostly operating with a single microphone, some hand percussion and her looping device, Ms, Elstran builds sonic layers that can be described as both symphonic and ethereal. She pulls it off with remarkably true pitch and a beautiful voice quality

Most performers who use looping devices in performance tend to create repeating riffs and build on those, but Ms. Elstran takes her compositions in different directions as they progress, sounding more straight composed than looped. The result is an often-arresting album that can create a kind of other-worldly sonic space.

Our grade for audio quality is a B-plus for skillful mixing and nicely handled ambiance. But sometimes on the loud parts, the there is some intentional distortion or extreme compression, which in my book always earns demerits.

Musical technology in the hands of most people can be little more than a toy. But an artist like Sarah Elstan, a/k/a the Nunnery, can make something really special.