Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol Two Judges

On a recent trip to the mall, I noticed New History Warfare Vol. Two: Judges by Colin Stetson filed under the rock / pop section of HMV.  After my initial surprise at finding this obscure album at HMV, I realized that whoever put this here had never listened to it, or even been in a room with someone who had.  This beast of an experimental jazz record resembles nothing close to pop or rock music, even though the soloist in question has played saxophone with the likes of Arcade Fire and Bon Iver as recently as last year.

New History Warfare Vol. Two: Judges is the second album by soloist Colin Stetson.  While listening to this behemoth, you may find it hard to believe that only one man is responsible for the cacophony of sax that you will hear even though each song was recorded in one take with no looping.  Mr. Stetson utilizes a technique called circular breathing, which allows him to play pieces up to five minutes long without stopping the insanity for even a moment.  The effect is quite dizzying, and at times it sounds barely human at all.  The saxophone seems to leap and bounce off a cavernous expanse deep within the earth.   Also, look at how big it is, Link.  This man is a beast.

He also manipulates the sound of the saxophone using 24 microphone positions throughout his recording space, sometimes even placing them inside the saxophone itself.  This recording techniques allows the saxophone to express an array of strange noises and even makes it sound like a heard of charging horses on the song "Clothed in the Skin of the Dead."

There are times in this album when short, well needed, interludes break up the noise, and guest spots by Laurie Anderson and Shara Worden help to add a human element to the devilish menagerie of sounds without distracting too much from Colin's playing.  "Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes" utilizes Shara Worden's voice to devastating effect.  She sings mournfully about her family and dismal life in a traditional blues fashion, while Colin's saxophone sniffles along in the background as if it is literally trying to keep from crying.  He plays one note throughout the entire song, which at times groans with such intensity that it feels like you are listening to the world rip apart around you.

I also felt incredibly impressed that one of the most emotional moments on the album for me was the 36 second track "All the Colours Bleached to White."  This track contains no brass at all, but instead opts to use a glorious choir to describe what feels like a heart breaking surrender.

The sounds that he produces from his demonic saxophone are so rich and deep they yawn and groan like some great beast from the bowels of hell in "Judges" and "Red Horses (II)."  He can also sound shrill and frantic in "From no Part of Me Could I Summon a Voice," strangely beautiful in "A Dream of Water" or shudder with ecstasy in "The Righteous Wrath of an Honourable Man."

This album blew me away so completely, that I could do nothing but sit in silence after some of the songs.  I find it as invigorating and challenging as it is entertaining.  It can be shrill and evil sounding, but it consistently shines with a strange sort of beauty I find it hard to put my finger on.  This is an experience like nothing you have ever heard before,  and it is definitely worth your time to listen to the whole thing.  This album actually came out in 2011, but I have been holding onto this review and refining my ideas about it since then.  I feel like I could still talk about it more, but I will leave it to you to experience yourself.