Against Method
New Focus, 2020
8/10
The long running New York new music ensemble counter)induction bring us 2 decades worth of experience to these 6 creative selections.
Douglas Boyce’s “The Hunt By Night” opens the listen with Benjamin Fingland’s bright clarinet and Ning Yu’s lively piano making for a careful yet frisky delivery, and “Before”, by Kyle Bartlett, follows with strong attention to space, where Caleb van der Swaagh’s cello manipulation suits the distinct atmosphere.
The middle belongs to Alvin Singleton’s “Ein Kleines Volkslied” and Jessica Meyer’s “Forgiveness”. The former utilizes Meyer’s quivering viola amid Jeffrey Irving’s dreamy vibraphone, while the latter provides for a rich experience via the looper pedal and strong tonality that illuminates Fingland’s clarinet.
Diego Tedesco’s “Scherzo” exits the listen, and it meshes clarinet, guitar, violin, viola, and cello with a rare texturing that’s intimate and adventurous.
An iconoclastic version of chamber sounds that are colorful and unpredictable, the artistic and modern techniques are much appreciated, too.
Travels well with: Lainie Fefferman- Here I Am; Kate Soper- The Hunt