WITH their new album, Love Beam, out in just under three weeks – and following our premiere of their last single, the brightly rhythmic and curious “Recurring Memory” last month – read that here – Typical Sisters are mixing it up with hallucinatory abandon on their final preluding single, “Grains”, which you can hear below.
Despite being scattered across the globe, when the trio of musicians who comprise Typical Sisters get together, whether fraternally to catch up and spitball ideas, in the studio, or collaborating across the wires, they get a really intriguing jazzy post-rock thing going; crisply percussive, vamping with guitar, seeking and melodic, and still that important touch wonky.
Wonky in the best way: “Grains” takes backwards masked children’s voices, always, always redolent and eerie, takes them to a place where Tortoise-like rhythmical precision and intricacy rubs up against the trippy gleam of Stones Throw space funk, all gleaming organ dazzling your eyes.
Let’s say hello, why not. Typical Sisters are guitarist Gregory Uhlmann, who’s worked with Perfume Genius and who describes himself as having “an inclination towards mixing the prickly and the beautiful”; bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Matt Carroll.
It’s been a decade and more now that the three have been bonding and sharing an affinity that goes beyond the music; and the new record celebrates that nourishment. The title evokes the warmth that’s engendered when they gather to play – which might not be quite as often as they’d like, given Gregory lives in LA, Clark in Chicago, and Matt all the way over in Copenhagen.
What to expect from Love Beam? We’re told it’s “a kaleidoscope of glitchy acoustic timbres, warbly guitar melodies, and crunchy drum loops, merging the worlds of improvised jazz and lo-fi bedroom production.”
The band first got together at Clark’s house in 2009, bonding over Joni Mitchell and classic jazz; improvised for a decent few hours’ session – saw that it was good. Despite musical commitments elsewhere, Typical Sisters is a den to play freely in; a safe space.
As with previous recordings, Love Beam began with each member bringing their own ideas to the table and then fleshing ’em out; but this time around they’ve expanded their palette to incorporate programmed drums, iPhone captures, and the use of Ableton to post-produce and tweak. On “OEO” you can hear the bustle of a Helsinki railway station in the textures; on “Grains”, Matt’s wife singing Danish folk songs in a chopped-up sample.
Love Beam, the guys think, “is a leap of faith by a trio of lifelong friends into a deeper post-rock fulfilment.” Let’s jump.
Typical Sisters’ Love Beam will be released by Joyful Noise Records digitally and on limited runs of both CD and cassette on July 9th; you can pre-order yours, here.
Connect with Typical Sisters at their website, on Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp and YouTube.
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