Artist: Balmorhea
Title: Constellations
Label: Western Vinyl
Genre: Indie : Classical
UPC: 656605460727
Territory: World
Release Date: 02.23.10
While Balmorhea’s previous release All is Wild, All is Silent followed a group of brave travelers across the American frontier, filled with vast, breathtaking landscapes and western touches, their new album Constellations looks not Westward but rather upward. Picture those same travelers at rest during their journey, tired from the day’s toll, lying around a warm campfire, looking up at the endless expanse, heavily peppered with numerous stars and planets as only the isolated countryside can showcase. This isn’t as energetically eager and determined as their previous release, but rather serves as a release for the effort, an exhale, if you will.
The group has had critics from all over in praise of their unique take on minimalist instrumentalism with distinctly classical influences from an eclectic group of sources. Often cited are Stravinsky, Claude Debussy, and more contemporary counterparts like the Six Parts the Seven. Balmorhea was formed in 2006 by Rob Lowe and Michael Muller in the musically fertile Austin, Texas. With the addition of four new members to create a full band, the group has toured the US and Europe three times. They’ve been featured on Pitchfork, Time Out New York, NPR’s Second Stage, and Drowned in Sound, all giving the group high marks and compliments, praising their originality and graceful execution.
Their newest effort is marked by the skillful use of space and restraint. While the previous release often focused on wide open frontier planes, Constellations works with celestial objects but leaves the black space between them as drifting and uncluttered. The disarming simplicity of the tracks proves that Balmorhea doesn’t need dense arrangements full of 180 degree turns to craft deeply affecting compositions. More than just self-imposed limitation, the scale of this collection of songs introduces a sense of intimacy and perspective. The album captivates and inspires our imaginations by recreating the movements and colors of life; this is what Balmorhea are truly great at achieving.
Here’s a great video of the band performing on iNCONTEXT.TV ; their music is even more powerful live:
Grab a free track off of the full length after the jump…
Balmorhea
“Bowsprit” (mp3)
from “Constellations”
(Western Vinyl)
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Tags: Balmorhea, NPR, Western Vinyl
