BIRTHMARK (Nate Kinsella, Chicago IL)
Under the appellation Birthmark, Nate Kinsella has embraced restraint in spite of the compositional boundlessness typically borne by musical virtuosity. On his debut album The Layer, the inventive and often byzantine drum set/Wurlitzer style he developed over the past four years in the band Make Believe is all but absent, revealing a quiet and uncanny tension of minimalist focus. And while Kinsella performed all of the music on The Layer, recalling his multi-instrumental duties
in the band Joan of Arc, the listener is more awestruck by the attention to integration and score than by a whirlwind of prowess.
The Layer represents an effort that began over eight years ago with the song "Flightless Bird," which was originally written for a friend's unfinished film project. Over time, the songs transitioned through amorphous forms until their ideal structures were achieved, further revealing The Layer to be a product of discreet process. In fact, two sharply contrasting songs on The Layer "A Solitary Angle on the Confinement of Doom" and "The Layer" started as the same tune, and the piano throughout was recorded in Minnesota over two consecutive Christmas vacations.
While the recording of the album spans four years and numerous locations, it is bound by an elegant and earthy lyrical form that is telling of Kinsella's ardent atheism and wonder at the natural world. The Layer further bears witness to his growth as a recording engineer, which ostensibly began with his former band decembers architects' only LP and progressed to collaborating on multiple recordings by Joan of Arc, Sharks and Seals, Owen, and most recently the soundtrack to Tim Kinsella's debut film, Orchard Vale.
As Birthmark, Nate Kinsella's The Layer is a remarkable album that rewards both the casual and attentive listener alike. The release of The Layer is set for December 2007 on 'record label' in the US, Coraille and Dunix in Europe, and Iscollagecollective in Japan. A European tour will follow in the winter.
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ARMS AND SLEEPERS (Cambridge, Usa)
It was in July of 2006 that the members of Arms and Sleepers locked themselves in an old
drafty apartment in Cambridge and began composing and recording new material. The last
few years had been both exciting and promising playing with the dream pop outfit The List
Exists, but in the end, even after two EPs and a US tour, the fate of the band was all too
obvious. They say that with every death there is a birth, and in this case, that certainly proved
to be true. Fed up with the recently failed music relationships, Max Lewis (programming,
keyboards, bass) and Mirza Ramic (keyboards, bass) wasted no time in forming Arms and
Sleepers, a project that would not limit itself to any artistic boundaries or music genres. The
road was wide open, and Arms and Sleepers found themselves comfortably standing in the
middle of it.
The result of these initial compositions was “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive”, a 7-song
EP released through Fake Chapter Records in December of 2006. Mostly instrumental, this
debut record is a warm offering of the band’s unique yet engaging sound. According to
PlugInMusic.com, “Arms and Sleepers soar in with their multilayered sound on ‘Bliss…’
and make you forget that this debut EP is only their introduction.” N/A reviews writes,
“Arms and Sleepers are venturing to bring in a new element to ambient music and it just
happens to work perfectly.” After touring the US for several weeks in spring and summer
2007 and the release of a limited EP on Milkweed Records, “Black Paris ‘86” will be the
bands first album.
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