Skipped It 'Til Now: Colin Stetson - New History Warfare, Volume 1

This week’s album that I “Skipped ‘Til Now” is one that I didn’t necessarily mean to skip, but I did so because I let a friend borrow the disc before I even listened to it. Now that I have it back, I’ve taken a listen to saxophonist Colin Stetson’s 2007 record, New History Warfare, Volume 1, and I’m rather pleased. The album definitely isn’t for everyone, but fans of more experimental stuff will probably love it.

Colin Stetson has played with people like Tom Waits, The Arcade Fire, and TV on the Radio, but I was first introduced to his brand of sax music when he opened for The National back in May. I didn’t quite know what to expect when he picked up his massive bass saxophone, but when he started to play, I was thoroughly impressed. He ain’t Kenny G, that’s for sure. That’s not an insult to Mr. G because they play two different types of music. Actually, I’m not sure that different is really the word to describe Stetson’s style. Stetson’s music is more akin to the glitchy electronic stuff made by Tim Hecker and Nobukazu Takemura (track 9, "Nobu Take," is obviously inspired by the latter), which is pretty interesting considering he’s doing it with a saxophone. He played his heart out (really, it looked like he was about to explode) during his live set, which couldn’t have been any longer than 25 minutes, but it was definitely enough to make me run to the merch table and buy his CD.

After seeing Colin Stetson play live, I knew what to expect from the 48-minute instrumental album. Most of New History Warfare’s 11 tracks can’t really be described by comparing them to any sort of genre, but there are moments where jazz, tribal sounds, and even hip-hop come to mind. The first song, “And It Fought to Escape,” sets the mood for the rest of the album in its 8 minutes. It is an atmospheric, vaguely Chinese-sounding piece with an insistent melody and pulsing bass line, all demonstrating Stetson’s amazing breath control and ability to “multitask” in his horn-playing. “Stand, Walk” couples a sinister bass line with percussive breaths that act as the song’s drum kit. Played live, this is the track that had everyone in the crowd excited, inspiring the dude standing next to me with the bandana tied around his head to have his own personal dance party. Song #3, “Groundswell,” sounds like a training scene from a kung fu movie with its pseudo-flute melody driving the track. The way that Stetson tends to make his saxophone sound like several different instruments despite it only being one is very impressive. He even uses his mouth and breath to beatbox on the hip-hoppy “Tiger Tiger Crane” (all that’s missing from this song is a verse from a Wu-Tang member).

The songs on New History Warfare make it hard not to envision some sort of scene or imagery in your head while listening. Everything sounds like something I’ve seen or some place that I’ve wanted to go to. The aptly-titled “As a Bird or Branch” makes me think of a forest at sundown (or something similar), and you can practically see a couple breaking up on a rainy day in the mournful jazz of “Our Heartbreak Perfect.” Okay, those images are kind of corny, but you get the picture. You may think of something else, but you’ll be hard-pressed not to think of SOMETHING.

Press Photo Courtesy of ColinStetson.com

Colin Stetson is obviously a master of his instrument, and New History Warfare, Volume 1 is the perfect showcase for his talent. The album has its meandering moments, and some people will undoubtedly call it noise, but it’s an interesting record either way. It’s a good purchase, and I strongly recommend his live show.

Colin Stetson - Groundswell
Colin Stetson - Nobu Take

- Jake