Il Teatro Rosso
No Hay Discos, 2025
9/10
Now nearly a decade old, Montreal’s No Hay Banda have evolved from a trio into an ensemble that’s steeped in adventurous and experimental ideas via their modern compositons.
“Scene 1: The Red Theater” starts this new record with detailed attention to atmosphere, where Daniel Áñez’s unpredictable keys are met with plenty of ambient noises that sometimes seems like ‘found objects”, and “Scene II: The Spasms Of Trapped Animals” follows with more emphasis on Geneviève Liboiron’s strategically plucked violin amid the ambience.
“Scene IV”: Tar Pits” lands in the middle and blurs Felix Del Tredici’s animated trombone alongside the percussive gestures, while “Scene V: The Drowning” uses Sarah Albu’s soprano like an instrument and complements the cinematic bouts.
“Scene VII: Grumpy Old Man” exits, and it’s a glitchy, somewhat ominous finish of artistic and intriguing sound manipulation.
A body of work that took 3 years to develop, this single work by the Los Angeles native Steven Takasug recruits acoustic and electronic bouts and also spotlights Noam Bierstone’s percussion, Lori Freedman’s bass clarinet and Émilie Girard-Charest’s cello, which only adds to the unconventional experience.
Travels well with: Nick Storring- Mirante; Alfredo Santa Ana- Before The World Sleeps