Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Volume 3: To See More Light (Album Review)
Friday, 26 April 2013
Written by Ben Bland
The saxophone is an (unfairly) oft-maligned instrument. Next time you complain about the cheesy sax solos in Bruce’s E-String Band or on any number of extremely dated eighties pop hits remember that this is the same instrument that was the main tool of some of the most innovative musicians in all history. Colin Stetson may not be at the same level as Coleman and Coltrane, but then to expect him to approach the level of extraordinary inventiveness displayed by such legends of jazz is unreasonable and unfeasible in the extreme. With ‘To See More Light’, however, Stetson has produced something that can clearly be seen as a potential classic of the contemporary avant-garde.
Although his technique is not necessarily completely original (he still owes much to the likes of Mats Gustafsson), Stetson’s use of the saxophone will pretty much prove incomprehensible to those who see it purely as an instrument of harmony. Right from the off, this record is full of grunts and squeals alongside dehumanised melodies. This is the saxophone, and, one suspects, Stetson himself, pushed to breaking point. The fact that electronic terrorist Ben Frost produced the album also lends the suspicion that this record’s, at times painful, intensity is not just down to Stetson’s playing but also the way his playing has been committed to record.
Steering well clear of the conventional, Stetson spends most of ‘To See More Light’ lurching disconcertingly between almost industrial brutality and impenetrable twittering and fluttering. At times you could be forgiven for thinking the guy had swapped saxophone for the sounds of a thousand chirping birds having an argument. His use of notes is almost more like making inferences than genuine assertions, such is the manner in which they uneasily enter and leave the chaotic fray of many of his compositions. It’s hard to believe that, according to the man himself, he utilised improvisation less on this record than on previous efforts.
If you’ve been following the build-up to this record you could scarcely have failed to notice mention of the involvement of Stetson’s Bon Iver friend Justin Vernon. His vocals make for an intriguing counterpoint to the instrumental work, arguably more unexpected in tone than the contributions of Laurie Anderson on 2011’s ‘Judges’. A particularly pleasing moment arrives in the shape of a cover of Washington Phillips’ ‘What Are They Doing in Heaven Today?’ which is at the same time slightly unhinged and, at least in comparison to most of the album, extremely accessible. Some may argue that Vernon’s vocal additions to the album are slightly too prominent and high in the mix, but as many are likely to claim that his trademark falsetto has largely been twisted enough to make it an intriguing counterpoint to some of Stetson’s most obtuse sax rumblings.
As a record, ‘To See More Light’ is a challenge, obviously. This is deliberately experimental music after all, but underneath Stetson’s intense desire to create something fresh and important there is actually a very crucial, overlooked ingredient. This is a man who wants to create music that people can actually enjoy once they get their heads round it. The fact is that this, the third and final part of the ‘New History Warfare’ triptych, is a delightfully engaging record as well as being a clearly avant-garde one. That, one would think, should earn him extra praise.
‘New History Vol. 3: To See More Light’ is out on Monday 29th April via Constellation Records.
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Although his technique is not necessarily completely original (he still owes much to the likes of Mats Gustafsson), Stetson’s use of the saxophone will pretty much prove incomprehensible to those who see it purely as an instrument of harmony. Right from the off, this record is full of grunts and squeals alongside dehumanised melodies. This is the saxophone, and, one suspects, Stetson himself, pushed to breaking point. The fact that electronic terrorist Ben Frost produced the album also lends the suspicion that this record’s, at times painful, intensity is not just down to Stetson’s playing but also the way his playing has been committed to record.
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