Tag Archives: saxophone

Andrew Bernstein – An Exploded View of Time

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Andrew Bernstein is a saxophone player and composer most recognized for his involvement in experimental band Horse Lords. He is releasing his latest album, An Exploded View of Time, through Hausu Mountain Records.

When listening to it, I can’t help but summon a comparison with saxophone virtuoso Colin Stetson. Of course, the palette of solo sax releases is pretty wide even for this relatively niche and narrow canvas, but the choice of techniques and soundscapes with which Andrew decided to paint it are remarkably similar. A short list of those include overblowing, circular … Read more

EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: Patrick Shiroishi – “The Screams of a Father’s Tears”

by Dæv Tremblay

Japanese-American saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi, whom we’ve come to spect and respect for his involvement with some of the best and craziest music acts out there – like Upsilon Acrux, Corima, Sewing Circle, and Nakata, to name a few –, is going to release new music under a his solo moniker with the album Tulean Dispatch. The project deals with the Tule Lake internment camp, where his Japanese grandparents were placed during World War II. The album not only reflects on these past events but draws parallels to what is happening today in the world and the USA. It’s a … Read more

Ex Eye – Ex Eye

by Dæv Tremblay

We’re not new to the name of Colin Stetson, decidedly one of if not the best saxophone player of recent history. Although his works have been a lot into the ambient spectrum, his recent Sorrow: A Reimagining of Górecki’s Third Symphony is where he brought himself into the lands of metal. Being now part of the new band Ex Eye, his fast, relentless, versatile, and innovative playing style is a perfect match for the blackened doom they spew out. Whether they drone on in drawn-out atmospheric passages or tempestuously stampede during blast beat parts, Stetson is at the forefront, … Read more

White Ward – Futility Report

by Matt Matheson

mulating our opinion of an album before diving back into the endless sea of new releases. Sometimes, however, a confluence of factors generates a scenario in which one album stays in rotation for an extended stay before pen gets put to paper. White Ward‘s Futility Report is an album I’ve been trying to write about since January, when I heard its first publicly released song. It took about 30 seconds of that track to convince me this was a band worth paying attention to. They were kind enough to send me a review copy, but shortly thereafter, the always-excellent … Read more

Review: Snakefeast – The Pythoness

by Dæv Tremblay
Baltimore-based Snakefeast comes pretty much out of the left field for me. Basically, it’s a guitarless progressive sludge quintet. But none of that ELE bullshit (3 basses that do the same thing), the instruments are: a drum, a bass guitar, a cello, and a saxophone. That can be quite interesting, isn’t it? But instead, they fall just a bit short.

Honestly, this combination of instruments could make something so awesome, that it’s criminal to have let the opportunity pass them by, and instead do some pretty uninspired sludge. Don’t get me wrong, the bass riffs are amazing and the songs … Read more