Beautiful Mechanical

This sextet of versatile musicians morphs easily from string-trio compositions and complex pieces with clarinets and trumpets to touring and recording with artists as diverse as Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, Meredith Monk, and Björk. For its own recording debut, Beautiful Mechanical, the ensemble recorded pieces written for them by friends and musicians such as Annie Clark (St. Vincent), Ryan Lott (Son Lux), and Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond). Acclaimed new music composers Gabriel Kahane, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and Judd Greenstein also wrote pieces for the project, and the result is a beautiful, multifaceted collection of music that's by turns intricately detailed and resplendently expansive; one piece is taut with tension while another flutters with pastoral beauty. It’s difficult to point to the best moments, as they're many and varied, but Greenstein’s “Clearing, Dawn, Dance” is a radiant, lively joy; Lott’s “Beautiful Mechanical” is exciting and just plain fun; and Clark’s “Proven Badlands” is as intriguing as a cinematic masterwork, with surprises at every turn.