Empty Space Orchestras self-titled full-length doesnt unseat Stetson, but it certainly makes a run for it. The trick with ESO is that they know how to balance their songwriting. If total mood pieces and obliterating guitar work are on opposite sides, ESO is running down the line between the two, grabbing stuff from both sides. […]
Colin Stetson
Always Be Happy, but Stay Evil Garage a Trois
Im not going to lie: About half the reason I wanted to hear this was because of its fantastical name. Ive been getting into Jacob Fred Jazz Odysseys post-everything jazz mash-ups recently, and Garage A Trois is one step further down the rung toward true jazz. Garage A Trois is described as a post rock/freak […]
Duke Garwood Dreamboatsafari
After hearing Duke Garwoods chilled-out guitar ruminations Jesus Got a Gun and Summer Gold (the latter of which I featured on OKS), I was totally stoked for an album based around acoustic talking blues. Instead, Dreamboatsafari is mostly skronk-heavy blues/jazz disc with a couple mellow tunes thrown in. And when I mean skronk-heavy, I mean […]
Colin Stetson New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
Colin Stetson (Tom Waits, Arcade Fire, TV on the Radio, among others) is of the last category, as his upcoming album, New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges, is a cerebral experience unlike any other Ive heard. It drops Feb. 22. Stetson plays saxophones primarily; theres one 76-second French horn suite, but the bulk of the […]
