New history warfare vol. 2 : Judges

"Nothing short of mind-blowing. Stetson uses the circular breathing style, recorded in single takes (...), to create atmospheric and hypnotic loops that sound like layered analog keyboards more than saxophones. In that sense, the tracks here often bring to mind something along the lines of Jean Michel Jarre crossed with Roscoe Mitchell. These tracks allow Stetson to skronk and pulse, wheeze and then soar with white jet-engine noise that is never purposeless and always controlled. Also featured here are a few spoken word sections with avant-garde icon Laurie Anderson (...) that lend a cinematic quality to the proceedings ... Primarily, however, it is Stetson's transcendent and muscular ability to layer sound, breath, and rhythm in a meditative compositional style that sticks with you long after "Judges" is over".

Læs anmeldelse

"At times, Stetson evokes contemporary classical - "Clothed in the Skin of the Dead" entrances with minimalist repetition - or touches on contemporary electronica, like the akimbo, Flying Lotus-style rhythms underpinning "Judges," but he might be most effective when somewhat accessible. "Lord I just can't keep from crying sometimes" pairs [My Brightest Diamond's Shara] Worden's torchy wail with a grinding ambient soundscape to forge a sublime, spooky art-blues. Indeed, the album's impenetrable surfaces grow haunting after numerous listens: Stetson may never garner mainstream recognition like his Arcade Fire pals, but he proves undeniably compelling in his uncompromising musicality".

Læs anmeldelse

"Der bydes både på ulmende drone-orienterede numre, køligt reciterende stemninger og egentlige sange undervejs, det hele pakket ind i overvejende mørke og skurrende lydbilleder, og det resulterer i et fint varieret album".

"When Stetson really gets the circular breathing going and unleashes a torrent of notes that climb up and down the scale, fans of free improv might think of solo material by players like Peter Brotzmann and Evan Parker ... But Warfare Vol. 2 doesn't sound much like improv or even jazz, despite our associations of the genre term with the solo horn. These pieces sound composed and carefully ordered, often closer to the precision of classical minimalism than the expressionism of fire jazz ... Reinforcing the music's connection to both minimalism and pop, several tracks here feature the vocals of Laurie Anderson, whose approach is a natural fit with this material ... Feels like music I've been subconsciously craving without even knowing it exists".

Læs anmeldelse