Release Extended Vacation on November 2
Dead Oceans have been something close to wine-drunk on the warm, alluring compositions of On Fillmore for some time now, fully under the spell of this all-to-rare pairing of musical soulmates. Now, they're thrilled to announce that On Fillmore has partnered with Dead Oceans to release Extended Vacation, its next beautiful foray into the unknown.
For nearly a decade, On Fillmore has been exploring and stretching the very definition of the term "rhythm section." An inspired collaboration between two world-class musicians -- bassist Darin Gray and percussionist/composer Glenn Kotche -- that was once dubbed "the rhythm section's revenge" by Jim O'Rourke, On Fillmore has returned with its most elaborate work, Extended Vacation. The album is a post-modern noir-film soundtrack that takes place somewhere where jungle meets sea, where dream meets memory.
Kotche and Gray both have long and impressive musical resumes -- Gray has worked as a member of experimental bands like Brise-Glace and Dazzling Killmen, and more recently as a solo artist and in collaborations with Loren Mazzacane Connors and Chris Corsano; Kotche is a respected composer/percussionist and member of Wilco who has released three solo albums, his most recent, Mobile, on Nonesuch, and composed for such luminary groups as Kronos Quartet, Bang on a Can All-Stars and Eighth Blackbird.
The two were originally hand-picked by O'Rourke as the rhythm section for his album Eureka (Drag City, 1999), joining him on a handful of subsequent tours and albums. It was in a 2000 during a gig at Scott Walker's Meltdown Festival in London that On Fillmore was conceptualized. Extended Vacation finds the acclaimed band three albums deep, two films scored and having performed in a variety of spaces like Chicago's Contemporary Art Museum to Rio de Janiero and the streets of Salvador, Bahia in Brazil.
Darin Gray and Glenn Kotche
(Photo by Nathan Kaye)
Extended Vacation is the result of three years of collaboration, painstakingly labored over during the stretches of time when Gray and Kotche were not involved with their numerous other musical outlets. The slow process is apparent in the recordings -- the melodies are delicate, beautiful and haunting, surrounded by driving rhythms, and assembled into complex and precise collages of sound. On Fillmore makes use of upright bass, unusual percussion, field recordings, vibraphone and various small instruments, exploring both repetition and spaciousness in the recordings. Joined by guest Dede Sampaio on bird sounds, Extended Vacation takes the listener on a strange, dreamlike journey. Melodies blend with atmosphere, the sounds are confusing and comforting, concocting a rich cinematic landscape of sound.
Extended Vacation will be released on November 2 on CD/LP/Digital formats.
On Fillmore official website
On Fillmore on Myspace
