Dessner's mordant vision is uniquely his; these are real, meaty works, troubling and beautiful.
Fans hoping for a dose of mellow indie akin to The National won’t find it here. What they will find, however, is a startling classical work that is just as harrowing and heartfelt as the music of Dessner’s indie-rock alter ego, if not more so.
The Kronos Quartet carries a sense of adventurism akin to Dessner’s National pals, but their instrumentals work as more of a form of action than a single piece of the atmosphere, giving Aheym a tenser feel.
In the Kronos Quartet’s 40-year career of melting faces chamber music style, it’s doubtful that Bryce Dessner: Aheym will ever rank as one of the group’s top recordings. It will, however, chronicle the rise the compositional talents of one Bryce Dessner.