Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges

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When listening to music, I don’t see myself as someone who goes for technical prowess.  I once had the chance to see the late Maynard Ferguson in concert. I came out of it feeling rather ambivalent. On one hand, his talent at playing a trumpet in an outrageously high register was impressive. On the other hand, I’d found it somewhat indulgent; the music itself lacked anything compelling.  Though I don’t shy away from technical skill, ultimately it’s not what brings me to music. However, a truly talented artist who brings both songwriting and musicianship to their work must be recognized. Among this elite crowd comes avant-garde saxophonist Colin Stetson, with his second solo album New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges.

Stetson’s work will make you hear the saxophone in a way you have never heard it before.  For instance, the opening of title track ‘€œJudges’€ sounds almost electronic, like something that could have come from Radiohead’s The King of Limbs. His sax makes not one sound, but many. The clicks of keys become percussion. At points throughout the album, such as in ‘€œRed Horse (Judges II),’€ we may hear the sharp intake of breath. At others, such as in both ‘€œJudges’€ tracks, Stetson’s sax shrieks like a creature possessed.

He achieves what most musicians achieve with the use of loops and multitracking simply through manipulation of his alto, tenor, and bass saxophones, using circular breathing techniques to play for minutes at a time. The album is claimed to have been recorded ‘€œwith no overdubs or looping, using over 20 mics positioned close and far throughout the live room,’€ with the exception of adding in vocals from My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden (who sings on two tracks) and Laurie Anderson (who provides spoken word recordings as well as adding French horn to one track).  Listening to this album through headphones can feel like being inside his saxophone, and with good reason; there were microphones in there, as well as nearly every other location imaginable.

Stetson shows his breadth not just in the variety of sounds he makes but in the variety of directions he takes them. Some tracks sound like traditional saxophone, such as ‘€œA Dream of Water,’€ which builds rapid arpeggios around the words of Laurie Anderson. Stetson’s reimagining of traditional song ‘€œLord I Just Can’t Keep from Crying Sometimes’€ plays it sparsely, with Shara Worden’s vocals placed over droning bass sax. ‘€œFear of the Unknown and the Blazing Sun’€ brings the two vocalists together. As Anderson speaks, we hear the clicking mechanics of the saxophone slowly begin, like an ancient machine brought to life, as Stetson starts to work his magic, and Worden’s gorgeous voice is placed atop it all. Closing track ‘€œIn Love and in Justice’€ sounds like the sort of dark, moody atmosphere that could come from a Godspeed You! Black Emperor song, with whom he’s touring presently. That said, comparisons to other artists such as this fall flat in the end; I’ve honestly never heard anything like this album.  He’s made something wholly unique, which I can see myself coming back to time and time again.

Recommended tracks: Judges, The Stars in His Head (Dark Lights Remix), Red Horse (Judges II), and Fear of the Unknown and the Blazing Sun