I don’t even dig the walkmen that much, but this album is fucking sublime.

Saw these dudes supporting for Deerhunter last year, mellow as shit. Great new album.

Gives me flashbacks to dancing to Passion Pit when I was 18 on babbys first club outing, good fucking memories.

unf unf unf unf 

Like 808 State reborn.

love this.

Mieks Reall Gud Albums of 2011

Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol 2 : Judges

   Not much has blown my tits off in 2011 so far, James Blake, Tim Hecker and Mogwai have all had substantial releases and King of Limbs still lingers like a dissapointing fart, it’s surprising then, that what I was not expecting to fire me dick first out of my socks is Colin Stetson’s latest release, an album seemingly consisting of music that on first assumption you feel you should hate. Although the saxophonist is famous for his work as a touring member of huge arena ensembles such as Arcade Fire, this album does not live up to these twee rock expectations in the same way fellow AF roomie Owen Pallett did, instead stemming from  a background of jazz based experimentation and avant garde esque movements. Fear not, stop recoiling, and quiet your groans, because regardless of this it’s an album of unbelievable accessibility and incredible depth.

   Primarily consisting of solo pieces, Colin Stetson’s unbelivable saxophone proficiency and individual skill show that the experimental music scene can still be launched into shit mental new areas. Focusing on one instrument songs with occasional guest vocals and spoken word sections, nearly all of the songs have been done in one take, with little overdubs, it’s a man with one horn (…), a few microphones and a dozen beats. It pulls it off amazingly, looping Phillip Glass esque monuments of music that hynotise you into one long freeform session. It’s classical esque music yeah, and there’s no hiding that this is an incredibly technically challenging piece of art, but fuck it, before your gag reflex has time to kick in Colin manages to achieve what so many other bands that rely on the instrument side of music fail miserably at. Making an album that is incredibly impressive to listen to whilst not succumbing to the age old ‘prog rock’ problem of equating this to one long self celebratory wank off ‘jam session’. It’s an album that has songwriting and experimental integrity in spades, vastly overwhelming any feeling that you are listening to a modern equivalent of the cesspit that is jazz or ‘progressive’ classical music.

 New History Warfare Volume 2 sucks all of the air out of you, it’s an album that leaves you feeling like a warm drink is needed when the final loop ends. Give it time to grow on you and you may as well have Stetson’s crabs lurking in your pubes, because there is no way you will shake it off. It’s absolutely fucking hypnotising and absolutely fucking brilliant.

9.0/10