Jessica Moss

Follow this artist

About this artist

Perhaps best known as a member of post-rock ensemble Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, violinist Jessica Moss’ solo work explores more experimental avenues. A prominent figure in Canada’s music scene since the 2000s, her debut solo record, Pools of Light, was released in 2017 and was illustrative of how she filters environmental thematic concerns though post-classical soundscapes. Moss began to play violin at the age of five and her first professional foray into music came when she joined Montreal’s indie pop band Nerdy Girl. She later became a member of alt-rockers Fidget in 1995 and stayed with the group for two years before joining Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra. The band was founded by Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s Efrim Menuck in 1999 as a trio before expanding their membership to include cellist Rebecca Foon, guitarist Ian Ilavsky, and Moss. The band released a steady stream of records throughout the noughties and contributed to the two Vic Chestnutt albums that were released via the Canadian label Constellation, 2007′s North Star and 2009′s At the Cut. During this period Moss also appeared on Broken Social Scene’s Feel Good Lost (2001) and You Forgot it in People (2002), as well as Arcade Fire’s Funeral (2004), and was a member of the Montreal quartet Black Ox Orkestar. It wasn’t until 2015 that Moss began to branch out beyond her collaborative work and explore solo recordings with the limited-edition cassette release Under Plastic Light, which was inspired by an island of plastic floating in the Pacific. Two years later Moss returned with her debut album proper. 2017′s Pools of Light was largely composed of Moss’ violin work filtered through loop and effects pedals, and the result was an atmospheric record that focused on issues surrounding the environment and the refugee crisis. For her next release, Moss built on the experimental, post-classical music of her debut, further incorporated the post-rock influence of 15 years with Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, and introduced elements of drone into the mix. Entanglement was released in 2018 by Constellation. ~ Bekki Bemrose