You immediately think of Simon & Garfunkel right? And then that Kruder & Dorfmeister album cover comes to mind and then of course Kings Of Convenience... or, maybe not. For some reason I'm convinced Ginsburg & Herman's conception had more to do with Thom Yorke releasing his electronic, solo album Eraser. Not that they sound anything alike, it's that I imagine they also needed to explore a new creative outlet for songs other than that of the conventional band, the duo also being part of the unfairly unknown Fly Paper Jet. There is the more subtle similarity of approach though – a sensitive musician will use the computer in the same way as any instrument to produce music of emotional depth – with care, with melodic beauty, with a giving of themselves. Melancholic, lyrically rich folk songs fleshed out with great guitar playing and instrumental arrangements, Ginsburg & Herman's 3 song EP deserves headphones. Try and resist the cool rippling rhythms of Rider In The Night Time as it lulls you into its tranquil travelogue. Listen to how the double bass kicks in full fat at the top of the second verse in the Calexico-esque Ship In The Desert, the looped brush shuffle, electric crunch and killer Wurlitzer driving us through its emotional wilderness. Or the dry waltz of Dangling Man with it's tired of life vocal delivery drawing you into its existential yarn – these are soundscapes impeccably rendered, these are songs you should hear. http://www.ginsburgandherman.com/ Watch Ari Kruger's promo video for the duo called Squash below, it's brilliant! Record store pic by Jonx Pillemer. Lance Herman (vocals, acc-guitar), Josh Ginsburg (e-guitar), Shane Cooper (bass), Lee Thomson (trumpet), Jason Reolon (keys). All songs copyright of Ginsburg & Herman. Recorded / engineered by Matt Alison at Dockyard Studios.
Mixed by David Langemann. Post production by Ginsburg & Herman and Paul Ressel.
I've played in a band with Brydon for 13 years or so, so you'd think he'd have let me know that he was recording something under his own name for the first time. Maybe let the cat out of the bag at one of our many rehearsals. In fact, it was about 6 months after its (limited) release that Brydon casually asked if I wanted a copy of his album, seeing as we were busy swapping music anyway. Recorded one morning in February 2009, partially as a studio test, this jazz "exploration of the interactions between composition and improvisation" was only made available at the Edge Of Wrong Festival in Cape Town that same year - which is a shame because it really should be finding its way into many more collections around the globe. The good news is that Mr Bolton has a new quartet album (a trombone player added to this line-up) in the pipeline which should be more readily available - so think of this as an intro. The first track of the album comes out fighting with a killer groove, a great big open sound on the kit and Frank's dark vibes setting up a driving-through-the-wet-streets-of-a-city-that-never-sleeps thing which crashes headlong into Bolton's psycho saw-fest before exiting the scene like a bunch of thieves. Katiana (below) is track 3 on the album, and it's here that we start sinking into the full scope of the trio's sound. Drummer Simon Annett sounds like a storm on the horizon, the bass and vibes are more improvised. The bowing on this track makes me feel like I've discovered a Turkish bizarre down one of New York's side streets. From here the album picks up again - 'The Silent Garden' must refer to the beautiful spacious solo in the middle because the rest of this track is anything but. The album draws to a close with the tad more out there 'Surviving the City' with it's schizo bass loop, dissonant bowing and bell tones in need of medication - making me think that perhaps underground is where they've gone to pull off this survival - like the troglodytes from Delicatessen managed to form a jazz trio down in the sewers - great stuff. (L to R) Brydon Bolton - Double Bass, Simon Annett - Drums, Frank Mallows - Vibes. Recorded at SUI Studios, Cape Town, February 2009 Mixed by Dan Manojlovic, Mastered by Dirk Hugo http://www.brydonbolton.com
