The Neck Is a Bridge to the Body

Kaki King is an unusual and welcomed acoustic guitar stylist. She issues calming New Age–style instrumentals but also takes off into space. “Battle Is a Learning” is a powerful and intimidating piece that rattles the walls, while “We Did Not Make the Instrument, It Made Us” uses her virtuosity to transport us to a gentler place where the atmosphere is soothing and yet on the precipice of somewhere alluring and unknown. The album is a companion piece to King’s new multimedia performances, which use projection mapping to present the guitar as an ontological tableau rasa in a creation myth. But one can just adjust the headphones and take the ride.