Balmorhea: Take their shoes to Rivers Arms
After its American birth in February, electro-acoustic voyagers Balmorhea (pronounced „Bal-Mor-Ay“ according to their own website) are preparing for the European release of their second album „Rivers Arms“ on 4th of March. The follow-up to their self-realised eponymous debut, „Rivers Arms“ sees the former duo of Rob Lowe and Michael Muller (now enhanced by Cellist Erin Lance and Bassist Jacob Glenn-Levin) continue their journey in a similar direction: Brittle dabbers of piano, broken banjo- and guitar chords penetrated by soft drones and interspersed with the occasional field recording set the controls for a world of harmony, tenderness and associations. The two tracks which Balmorhea have made available on their MySpace site, „San Solomon“ and „Limmat“, indicate that they may actually have treaded even softer on „Rivers Arms“, with the two tracks rising to sweet emotional hights, before coming to a gradual halt in seemingly endless fade-outs. „Rivers Arms“ is released on Western Vinyl Records, also hailing from their home of Austin, Texas.
If the American press reception is anything to go by, „Rivers Arms“ could mark a breakthrough for a band which thrives on a quiet sound and subtle nuances – with even the influential online magazine Pitchfork Media praising the album and its eclectic approach, which supposedly incorporates „the swells of Stravinsky, the mercurial keyboard majesty of Debussy, the triad-based romanticism of Arvo Pärt, the clangorous sensuality of Keith Jarrett, the electronics-meet-acoustics approach of Max Richter, and the beaming melodic flashes of the Takoma Records cartel“. For anyone interested in background details on the production process of „Rivers Arms“, check out this video, which captures them in the studio in full flow:
Balmorhea will also be featured in a documentary on shoe manufacturer „Tom's Shoes“, to be presented at the „Sundance Festival“. Stay put for further news.
Documentary by Kyle Bradshaw
Picture by T. Klunick
Homepage: Balmorhea
Homepage: Western Vinyl Records
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