Articles
Terrence Dixon
Ten Favourite Labels 2012

Albums
1982 + BJ Cole
Oren Ambarchi
Balmorhea
Alexander Berne
Born Gold
Carlyle & Cox
Kate Carr and Gail Priest
Paul Corley
Deison
Roland Etzin
Yuichiro Fujimoto
Glissando
Godspeed You! Bl. Emp.
Ivar Grydeland
Hakimonu
Hammock
Sophie Hutchings
Kane Ikin
Jeanne Jolly
Paul Mac
Michael Mayer
David Michael
Moskus
David Newlyn
No Regular Play
Numina
Oskar Offermann
Olan Mill
Padna
Pelt
Rone
Roomful of Teeth
Bruno Sanfilippo
Valgeir Sigurdsson
The Sleep Of Reason
Jessica Sligter
Slow Dancing Society
Prins Thomas
The Use Of Ashes
Maarten van der Vleuten
Stian Westerhus
Wires Under Tension
Woolfy vs. Projections

Reissue
William Basinski

EPs
Elektro Guzzi
Glacis
Porya Hatami
Maps & Diagrams
Stephan Mathieu
Michael Trommer

Roomful of Teeth: Roomful of Teeth
New Amsterdam Records

Roomful of Teeth's self-titled debut album reveals the outfit to be less a polite classical choir than a virtuosic vocal octet (directed by Brad Wells, who founded the ensemble in 2009) whose exuberant renderings of the composers' works makes for exhilarating listening. While all of the group's members bring classical training to the project, they also dramatically enrich its vocal dimension by drawing upon gospel, Tuvan throat singing, yodeling, Inuit throat singing, and techniques originating from Sardinia and Korea. The collection presents thirteen pieces by seven composers, including settings by New Amsterdam co-directors Judd Greenstein, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and William Brittelle as well as four by group member Caroline Shaw. While most of the pieces are wordless, three by the co-directors are lyrics-based.

No small amount of practice had to have been involved in the production process, given the complexity of the vocal arrangements—consider the intricate pathways navigated so expertly by the singers during Brittelle's “Amid the Minotaurs” and Shaw's “Allemande” as two examples of many. Throughout the seventy-four-minute set, voices blend into full-bodied wholes with the same apparent ease as when they separate from one another to take solo flight. A major part of the group's sonic appeal is its large timbral range, with two soaring sopranos grounded by baritone, bass baritone, and bass voices.

Memorable moments are plentiful, from the ecstatic gospel episodes in “Amid the Minotaurs” and the mournful emoting of Caleb Burhans' “No” to Shaw's “Passacaglia,” which sees the group alternating between delicate reserve and aggressive attack, and Rinde Eckert's “Cesca's View,” where yodeling rings out with all the declamatory force of a clarion call. Merrill Garbus (of tUnE-yArDs) contributes two especially arresting settings, “Quizassa” and “Ansa Ya,” whose punchy rhythms and powerhouse vocal interplay draw upon African and Inuit vocal traditions.

November 2012