The word amicability can be defined as having a disposition characterized by warmth and friendliness (wordreference.com), and on their latest album, aptly titled Amicability, A Light Sleeper oozes warmth in every notes. A few years back a band called The Knife released an album called "Silent Shout", and that phrase has always left a certain image in my mind. It's an image of wanting to scream, but not having an outlet, not fully releasing it. Amicability is very much a gentle and refined scream, or perhaps it is that welling up just before the scream. The eight tracks build and wind through layer of jazz, ambience, and chopped up vocals while the listener drifts along. Moments are built and then drained as this trio melts all snow and allows the spring to full capture the spotlight. It's that creeping warmth, that mounting scream, that release from a tortuous winter and a bursts of truly inventive musical exploration.
This is the first musical release from the new nonprofit group Another New Calligraphy. This is a project that helps musicians and writers establish and maintain an effective visual and tactile presence in an ever-increasingly virtual world, all while building an artistic community with a powerful, unifying identity. Their hope is that by making albums or manuscript visually recognizable, they can help art stand out in the American media overload. Operating outside the realm of traditional record labels and publishing houses allows them to work under a new model based on the simple acts of creating and sharing. It is an ambitious mission, but they have chosen an exceptional album to launch the project.
[MP3] A Light Sleeper - In Praise of 4 Letter Words
Amicability will be release on April 28th, but you can preorder now. A Light Sleeper will be performing at Gallery Cabaret on May 6th.
