photo by Mimi Chakarova
Revolver Magazine is now exclusively streaming “Dawn,” the new single from NYC-based drummer DAN WEISS and his all-star STAREBABY outfit. The collective sees WEISS joined by Ben Monder on guitar, Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Fantômas) on bass, and the twin-keyboard/piano/electronics attack of Matt Mitchell and Craig Taborn. The new track precedes the act’s second album, Natural Selection, out next week through jazz label Pi Recordings.
Natural Selection is the highly anticipated follow-up to drummer composer DAN WEISS‘s 2018 release Starebaby. Along with WEISS, the rest of the collective – who all return from the first album – is made up of a dream-team of musicians who share a love for heavy metal and whose playing is unbound by genre. The intriguing and intense album has been expertly captured by veteran recording engineer Ron Saint Germain (Soundgarden, Living Colour, Bad Brains, Sonic Youth) and mastered by Joe Gastwirt.
Offers DAN WEISS with the new single, “‘Dawn’ is a melodic, atmospheric piece that isn’t really like any other song in the STAREBABY songbook in that it’s pretty bare-boned in nature. I can hear the influence of ’80s bands such as Blue Nile and Cocteau Twins, plus the impact that John Cage and Morton Feldman’s approach to melody have had on me. Craig and Matt play piano simultaneously, which is unusual, but the thing that most strikes me about the track is Ben’s use of effects: they feel cinematic and, for me, are evocative of the films of Terrence Malick for some reason.”
Revolver refers to the cut as, “a creepy, cinematic composition that would fit right in on the Twin Peaks soundtrack.”
Hear DAN WEISS STAREBABY’s “Dawn” first, only through Revolver Magazine, at THIS LOCATION.
Pi Recordings will release Natural Selection on CD and through all digital providers next Friday, September 18th. Find preorders at Pi Recordings’ webshop HERE and Bandcamp HERE.
Watch for additional audio and video samples of Natural Selection to post surrounding its release.
The recording of Natural Selection came fast at the end of a run of performances for the band – also named STAREBABY – which helped further cement the group’s unique sound. It’s staggering to contemplate the wide-ranging ability of these musicians from bone-crunching power to pensive reflection; exacting hits to improvised texture; faith to the compositions and manic improvisation. Each of these musicians is a leader in his own right; their 2019 releases evidence the sheer scope of their individual talents Dunn, a member of Mr. Bungle, Fantômas, Melvins, and Secret Chiefs 3, released his album Nocturnes, which features his compositions for string quartet, piano and bass. Monder, who plays on David Bowie’s Blackstar, put out the dreamy Day After Day, for solo guitar and trio. Taborn collaborated with pianist Vijay Iyer on The Transitory Poems, an album of piano duos. Mitchell’s Phalanx Ambassadors features his usual synapse-exploding, intricately detailed work, this time for guitar, vibraphone, bass and drums. WEISS himself released the more jazz-oriented Utica Box, featuring his long-running trio with pianist Jaco Sacks, bassist Thomas Morgan, with the addition of bassist Eivind Opsvik. The success of Natural Selection would not be possible without these particular musicians, with their wide-ranging, all-embracing love of music and ability to execute everything that WEISS throws at them with conviction.
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