EN SE DE

  • Niagara Falls EP

    ALP105

    Artist: Boxhead Ensemble

    Label: Atavistic

    Recorded during the Dutch Harbor U.S. Film Screening Tour at NYC'S legendary Knitting Factory & Boston's Middle East, this incarnation of the Boxhead Ensemble features members of Pinetop Seven, Gastra Del Sol, Edith Frost, In Zenith and The Red Crayola.

  • Two Brothers

    ALP126

    Artist: Boxhead Ensemble

    Label: Atavistic

    The Boxhead Ensemble makes a glorious return after nearly a two-year hiatus, under the direction of Michael Krassner (Lofty Pillars); Two Brothers is their most distinctive & compelling album yet. Superbly recorded by Krassner & Joe Ferguson at Truckstop Chicago,Two Brothers is a modern day meditation on 19th century American musics, circa the Civil War era. Highly detailed acoustic instrumentation dominates the aural landscape, propelled by the bountiful talents of Mick Turner & Jim White (The Dirty Three), Ryan Hembrey (Pinetop Seven), Glenn Kotche (Pinetop Seven/Jim O'Rourke), Fred Lonberg-Holm (Terminal 4), Jeff Parker (Tortoise/Isotope/Tricolor), Scott Tuma (Souled American), Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) Jessica Billey (Smog/ Sally Timms/ Lofty Pillars) & Guillermo Gregorio (Unheard Music Series) An extremely inviting haze emanates quietly fromTwo Brothers, drawing you further & further into its sonic web. You'll not find another record remotely like it this year-- or in any other, for that matter. Despite an ever-changing cast of musical talent, The Boxhead Ensemble has evolved into something much greater than it's low key origin as a soundtrack generator for Braden King's Alaskan landscape documentary, Dutch Harbor. After three great releases, a very successful European tour and film screenings around the world, Two Brothers knits another rich, otherworldly tapestry documenting the evolution of The Boxhead Ensemble.

  • Nocturnes

    ALP174

    Artist: Boxhead Ensemble

    Label: Atavistic

    he Boxhead Ensemble returns with their 3rd proper studio album since the inception of the DUTCH HARBOR project in 1997.

    The collective's leader Michael Krassner (guitar/organ/fx) joins forces with Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello/harmonica), Frank Rosaly (drums) & Jacob Kolar (prepared piano), generating a meditative aura unlike any other.

    A like-minded & appropriately gorgeous followup to their recent Two Brothers (alp126cd) and Quartets (alp136cd) recordings.

  • Quartets

    ALP136

    Artist: Boxhead Ensemble

    Label: Atavistic

    The Boxhead Ensemble is a project with an ever changing line-up of people. Only constant figures are Michael Krassner, who founded the boxhead ensemble and Fred lonberg-Holm on cello. Further artists we see here are Jessica Billey (Smog), Michael Colligan (Pillow), Ryan Hembrey (Edith Frost, ex-Pinetop Seven), Glenn Kotche (Wilco, Jim O'Rourke, Loose Fur), and Scott Tuma (Souled American). This is a whole bunch of names, of which some say me something and others do not. Musically seen this can bring us something really interesting, as (from what I know) this is a rather mixed group of people.

    As usual with the music by the boxhead ensemble it is made for a movie. This time it is “The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Mark Kerr”. Badly enough I have not seen this movie, so I can’t tell how the music relates to this, but luckily enough this album also stands for itself, without the moving images.

    But, good, let’s talk about the music. The seven untitled songs on this album are all instrumental songs with guitars, strings and rumblings of small objects (or field recordings). The result is very relaxing music that reminds me of the big weatfields as you see them in the movie “Straight Story” by David Lynch. While listening to this music, it is as if you are walking through the fields of gold up hill, down hill and up again. The sun is shinning softly on your head. Somewhere far away you hear the farmer with his tractor cutting the crops for today. It’s freedom, tot...

  • The Last Place To Go

    ALP96

    Artist: Boxhead Ensemble

    Label: Atavistic

    Live recordings from '97's Dutch Harbor European film screening tour, featuring performances by members of Dirty 3, Edith Frost, Bobby Conn, Gastr Del Sol, Will Oldham, Pinetop Seven, Vandermark 5 and 11th Dr.

  • Dutch Harbor: Where The Sea Breaks Its Back

    ALP85

    Artist: Boxhead Ensemble

    Label: Atavistic

    Chicago's underground alternative music scene comes to life in this intense score for this Dutch film. calling themselves "the box head Ensemble" diverse musicans such as Jim o'Rourke, reed player Ken Vandermark and pianist Michael Krasner seemlessly construct a dark and ambient score for a film that this reviewer has not seen but has had many striking images plced into his mind from the music alone. the swirling drones and ambient textures bring the power and unpredicablity of the atlantic to the fore.