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Anthropods - 117CD (2022)

by Mark Holub

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Six panel card sleeve with artwork by Designers Republic

    Includes unlimited streaming of Anthropods - 117CD (2022) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      £10 GBP  or more

     

1.
Sea 05:03
2.
3.
Messy To Me 05:47
4.
The Bells 08:06
5.
One Way 05:58
6.
For Charles 11:28
7.
Lunges 03:39
8.
9.
Home 07:51

about

“A richly eclectic set of enjoyable and unclassifiable music celebrating the joy of collectivity.” – Tony Benjamin, JAZZWISE

“Simply stated, Holub’s first effort as a leader is a significant musical event.” – Glenn Astarita, ALL ABOUT JAZZ

Anthropods is the new band from American drummer and composer, Mark Holub. Holub, known mainly as bandleader of the acclaimed and Mercury Prize nominated Led Bib (www.ledbib.com) has with ‘Anthropods’ created his first project as a leader since starting Led Bib in 2003. While some of Holub’s trademark Led Bib style is evident here, the album is full of contrasts, from pastoral beauty to dense free improvisation to heavy grooves, showcasing sides of Holub’s work well beyond his work with Led Bib.

Holub has been based in Vienna, Austria since 2012. The arrival of the coronavirus pandemic stopped all touring, all life, but gave Holub an unexpected opportunity- time to finally start his own project in Vienna, as bandleader, something he had been planning for years, but never found the time to do. For Holub, this band wasn’t about creating a new Austrian Led Bib, but was a total reassessment of what he wanted to produce as a composer and bandleader. With Led Bib always being very much a collaborative project, this was the chance for Holub to start afresh, and think about what he would want to make with completely new musicians, and a fresh palette.

Holub elaborates, “I wanted to create something where the musicians felt free to try and determine what the band might sound like. I didn’t want to be too prescriptive about where the band might go sonically. My first thought was to try and find instruments that perhaps by already being a slightly unusual grouping would make us not only sound different, but make us immediately think about where such a collection of instruments and musicians might be able to go sonically. It has been an amazing journey for myself as leader and composer, and I look forward to hearing how this band will further develop over the course of the touring.”

The players Holub selected include long term Vienna based collaborators, such as violinist Irene Kepl, as well as musicians like Susanna Gartmayer (also known from the Vegetable Orchestra) who appeared briefly on the latest Led Bib album, but also people Holub had met more briefly on the Viennese scene and liked their approach. Holub adds: “Playing music for me is really about people, and the way we communicate with each other. I wanted to find the right group of people to then continue to try and forge a sound together. Allowing each musician to bring their own special contribution, and thus allowing this band to create a sound which only THIS band could be.”

Short punchy compositions like ‘Forest Capers’ remind us of the Led Bib sound, but the improvisation is more open, travelling in surprising new directions. Same goes for ‘Pumpkin Patch’, a track where we hear Holub’s more groove-based writing, but in the improvising the band explores different territory. We also hear much more of the softer side of Holub’s writing such as on tracks like ‘The Bells’, ‘Home’, and ‘Sea’ and in general this album puts this more reflective, poignant approach more front and centre. While much of the improvising on the album is very free, it is never fully abstract. There is always a deep connection between the players, as well as a connection to the compositions themselves which keeps the listener always somehow anchored to something.

With this first release of this new five-piece ensemble, we get a glimpse into what these musicians have to offer the world and each other.

credits

released January 20, 2022

Mark Holub – drums
Clemens Sainitzer – cello
Irene Kepl – violin
Susanna Gartmayer – bass clarinet
Jakob Gnigler – tenor sax

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Discus Music Sheffield, UK

Discus Music was founded in 1994 by Martin Archer. The label releases leftfield rock music, free jazz, extended songform, electronics, improvised music, and other sounds which defy categorisation.

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