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A Light Sleeper — Equaeverpoise
(Cuneiform Rune 3366, 2023, DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2023-11-15

Equaeverpoise Cover art

I’d never heard of this Chicago band before I saw the announcement of this release from Cuneiform. There are just so many bands around the world, even in uncommon areas like chamber rock, that no one can keep up with everything. A Light Sleeper is a quartet consisting of Maria Elena Hernandez (alto and tenor saxophone), Traci Huff (viola), Matthew Jung (drums, keyboards), and Dheeru Pennepalli (guitar), and all the compositions are credited to the group as a whole. Jung and Pennepalli laid the foundation of the band as a duo in 2005, Hernandez came on board in 2007, and Huff joined in 2011; others have come and gone, but this is how the group stands for Equaeverpoise, their second full-length release. Listeners familiar with the RIO tradition will find much here they recognize, though with the distinctive spin imparted by these particular players. Such groups as Volapük, Breznev Fun Club, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, and so on are a good reference point. The saxophones lend an occasional jazzy flair and Pennepalli’s guitar sometimes ventures into avant territory. Huff sometimes brings in a romantic sweep on the viola, but also utilizes pizzicato and extended techniques to broaden the sound palette even further. Mallet instruments (or simulations thereof) appear in quite a few tracks, presumably courtesy of Jung. The pieces are consistently inventive, with unpredictable structures and off-kilter rhythms; the instruments are continually picking up each other’s lines and melding them into a shifting mosaic where it’s rarely possible to say which parts are lead and which are support. And yet, in spite of the complexity, there’s a kind of friendly accessibility to the sound. While nothing on Equaeverpoise will be mistaken for something on the pop charts, there’s also nothing grating or off-putting. You might not find yourself singing along with the music, but you won’t run from the room with hands over ears. A Light Sleeper has produced one of the year’s best albums, and I will be investigating their earlier releases as well.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases

Related artist(s): A Light Sleeper

More info
http://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/equaeverpoise

 

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