Norwegian powerhouse trio Elephant9 are ready to release a new album later this month, following two double live albums released in 2019. Entitled Arrival Of The New Elders, the new album arrives on February 26th through Rune Grammofon. Described “as groovy as ever”, the album is also reportedly “more structured and less jam oriented”. For a dazzling taste of what to expect, listen to the first single ‘Rite Of Accession’.
There’s always a sense of anticipation at the news of a new album from Joseph Shabason, so we are thrilled to know he has a new record on the way. Entitled The Fellowship, the album is an emotive and immersive instrumental autobiography capturing and processing life memories, emotions and experiences spanning three generations. On the album, and as the press release describes, the talented composer and multi-instrumentalist “sketches an auditory map of the transcendence, unity, conditioning, and eventual renunciation of his upbringing in an Islamic and Jewish dual-faith household.” Informed by ambient and new-age driven jazz, Shabason composed a powerful and intimate record of staggering beauty intended for long listens.
The Fellowship arrives on April 30th through Western Vinyl and Telephone Explosion Records and ahead of it, Shabason is enticing us with the title track. “This song represents the golden years when they bought their first farm house and me and my sister were born”, Shabason explained, adding, “They had joined The Fellowship and found the spiritual meaning that had been lacking for the first 30 years of their lives. They had new children and they were going to raise them and support them in all the ways that their parents couldn’t.” ‘The Fellowship’ comes with a video accompaniment directed by Maxwell McCabe-Lokos. Watch it below.
Photo: Mark Lewis
Anticipation is the collaborative instrumental album that brings together two young and brilliant Texan guitarists, Cameron Knowler and Eli Winter. Inspired by a trip through the desert on the Texas-Mexico border, Anticipation, as the press release explains, “document[s] a musical juncture between desert and city, Chicago and the Southwest, folk traditions and America’s musical avant-garde.” Knowler and Winter recorded most of the album over the course of one nine-hour session, with several recordings being first takes.
We´ll have to wait until March 12th for Anticipation to be out through American Dreams Records but Knowler and Winter have already let loose its gorgeous opener, ‘Strawberry Milk’. The single comes paired with a video, filmed and edited by Knowler.
With the heavenly and contemplative The Blue of Distance just out in the tail end of January, Elori Saxl has now shared a beautiful new single from the album entitled ‘Before Blue’. The single comes paired with a stunning video directed by Emma Portner and features improvised choreography from Justin Dejager. Take a look.
The Blue of Distance is out now through Western Vinyl.
Avant-rock experimentalist outfit Xiu Xiu have a new album on the way entitled OH NO. Marking their 12th studio album, OH NO is a collection of duets and sees singer and songwriter Jamie Stewart collaborate with artists who have been influential for him, both personally and musically. The album features stellar guest contributions from an array of artists, including Circuit des Yeux’s Haley Fohr, Chelsea Wolfe, Owen Pallet, Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier, Liars’ Angus Andrew, Twin Shadow’s George Lewis Jr., Sharon Van Etten and many more. Speaking about these collaborations, Stewart explains:
“The guest stars of OH NO reflect the types of people, and many of the very same, who helped remind me that the ratio of beautiful humans to shitty humans is more like 60/40 rather than what I have always assumed was 1/99. Although there is an ‘I HATE PEOPLE’ pin on my guitar strap, I hate them less now.”
OH NO was produced by Xiu Xiu’s Angela Seo, Lawrence English, and Greg Saunier, and is set for release on March 26th via Polyvinyl. Ahead of it, they have shared the first taste of their forthcoming album, ‘A Bottle of Rum’, featuring Grouper’s Liz Harris. “I had asked Liz Harris, who is an old friend, if she would sing on this new record of duets,” Stewart said. “Initially I thought of her for another song but she specifically, although not knowing she had been the inspiration behind it in the first place, asked to be on this one. If the stars ever have aligned… well then.” ‘A Bottle of Rum’ comes with an accompanying video directed by band member Angela Seo. Watch it below.
Photo: Maya Dagmi
Portland-based producer and percussionist Barra Brown, known for his acoustic jazz band, Barra Brown Quintet, and as one half of beat-making duo Korgy & Bass, is gearing up to release his debut album, LFT:RT. With an ambitious approach to songwriting, and the ability to seamlessly move through a variety of genres and musical styles, Brown has crafted a wildly diverse and playful record. “I say I’m left-handed, yet I’m extremely ambidextrous,” Brown commented, in reference to his drumming and the album title which represents his “attempt to break down the binary thinking so often used to sort complex human life into simplified categories”.
To bring LFT:RT to life, he invited several artists to contribute, including Brubeck Institute fellow Tree Palmedo, who guests on trumpet on the latest single to emerge, ‘Woah hey!’. Brown commented on this collaboration:
“My friend Tree is an amazing trumpet player. His last jazz related album received four stars in Downbeat and was named #1 debut album on the NPR Jazz Critic’s Poll. It happened that he was back in town (Portland) visiting from his new home in NYC. We had about an hour together in my home studio and he took a few passes over my work in progress. I chopped some things he played to create a melody after our session. But the ripping solo at the end, I kept that one-take wonder! The guitar and bass sounds were taken from an improvised session I recorded with my former teacher and Oregon Hall of Fame guitarist, Dan Balmer. He didn’t know several seconds of our jam would become this sonic world and his guitar would also become a bass.”
‘Woah hey!’ comes with an accompanying video edited by Brown and featuring archival footage of astronauts training in the 60’s. Watch it below and grab the album when it’s out on March 5th through Cavity Search Records.
