Moses Sumney

The panoramic sweep of the remote landscape serves as a metaphor for the epic quality of Sumney’s work—his vocal and emotional range, his easy merging of genres (soul, jazz, orchestral pop, alternative R. & B.), and the exceptional scope of his lyrics. Performing songs from his first two albums, including “Græ,” released during lockdown, with a small band, Sumney glitters in his verdant surroundings wearing black sequinned or beaded couture ensembles. Yet the film, however spectacular, isn’t slick. The illusion of a levitation trick is undercut by a reveal of the rigging, and there is a rough edge of urgency to Sumney’s moody lighting effects as night falls. Gallerygoers will need to time their arrival with care in order to catch the film in its entirety, but it’s worth the effort to see Sumney’s plein-air, lemons-into-lemonade pandemic artistry projected on a grand scale."