Andy Stack, of folky electro duo Wye Oak, has toured with the National side-project EL VY, performed with Lambchop, sung for Shearwater and remixed Sylvan Esso. New project Joyero, however, is a one-man show — and though its atmospheric intensity resembles some of his former work, it also builds a world entirely of its own.
Single "Salt Mine" set the table for an impressive debut record: the thing itself is instrumentally sporadic and poetically dense. What starts off jarring grows more charming; Release the Dogs is an eerie world of ethereal layers that seep effortlessly into one another, and surprises that quickly establish their perfection.
Pointed distortions, split-second transitions, brassy experimentation and rhythmic fluctuations offer a wild and soulful backdrop to Stack's expansive voice. Inviting listeners into a deep trance and then breaking it with sudden subtlety, there is consistency in the record's inconsistency. Tension builds and snaps; air is inhaled deeply and then released at once.
Shrinking and expanding like lungs themselves, Release the Dogs is a masterpiece of ceaseless motion.
(Merge Records)Single "Salt Mine" set the table for an impressive debut record: the thing itself is instrumentally sporadic and poetically dense. What starts off jarring grows more charming; Release the Dogs is an eerie world of ethereal layers that seep effortlessly into one another, and surprises that quickly establish their perfection.
Pointed distortions, split-second transitions, brassy experimentation and rhythmic fluctuations offer a wild and soulful backdrop to Stack's expansive voice. Inviting listeners into a deep trance and then breaking it with sudden subtlety, there is consistency in the record's inconsistency. Tension builds and snaps; air is inhaled deeply and then released at once.
Shrinking and expanding like lungs themselves, Release the Dogs is a masterpiece of ceaseless motion.