How to Destroy Angels: An Omen EP (Columbia, 11/13/12)
Images of cell mitosis, swarming bees, and something that could be either a crosswalk or an orgy of organisms — the video for How to Destroy Angels’ “The Loop Closes” has the intensity of a visual countdown to the apocalypse, viewed through the dispassionate eye of city surveillance.
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Meshuggah: Koloss (Nuclear Blast, 3/27/12)
“Do Not Look Down”
The average brain of an adult human has 100 to 500 trillion synapses. Each new electric impulse, each wrinkle that develops in our minds, leads to our understanding of the world around us. How this is done is still a mystery, and our experience of music is at the forefront of this complex puzzle. Somewhere between vibrations in the air hitting our eardrums and memory, we each confront and interpret the sounds of our surroundings and perceive the phenomenon of music — that which is made of rhythm, pitch, timbre, and dynamics.
Tyondai Braxton is not one to let the grass grow under his feet. The former Battles loop guru / singer has worked with Philip Glass, performed his 2009 record Central Market with orchestras worldwide, and has written commission pieces for artists including Kronos Quartet and Bang on a Can All-Stars.
Now Braxton is taking over the Guggenheim. His new piece, Hive, which is part art installation / part music performance, will have its world premiere on March 21 in New York.
Grayceon: Pearl and the End of Days EP (Flenser, 2/12/13)
“Pearl”
As the art of the full-length grows weaker with the rise of the digital era, 30 minutes of music practically qualifies as a double album for some artists. Not so for cello-metal trio Grayceon, whose upcoming EP Pearl and the End of Days nearly hits a half-hour in just two epic tracks.
Brokeback: Brokeback and the Black Rock (Thrill Jockey, 1/22/13)
With more than a little reverb, a sense of wide-open space, and a strong kinship with Americana, Brokeback and Black Rock is what instrumental albums should be. There is no struggle with absent vocals; these are complete compositions, finished and evocative.