Recorded live with no overdubs or loops, Never were the way she was is a perfect blend of Neufeld's violin virtuosity and Stetson's outside-the-box approach to saxophone and clarinet, their styles complementing yet pushing each other to new heights.
Never were the way she was has a bracing air, an implicit reminder of the things that can be done with two instruments and two hands.
With Neufeld's wild strings adding to the improvisational feel, Never Were the Way She Was combines the fluidity of jazz with the emotive expansiveness of avant-garde tone pieces, the lower registers of the sax carving out an elaborate underworld of throaty hoots and bellows to complement the violin's screeching heights.
Never Were The Way She Was is most definitely a joint effort with neither one apparently taking the lead, instead they combine to create an album filled with claustrophobic but occasionally joyous soundscapes.
Colin Stetson and Arcade Fire violinist Sarah Neufeld work to create a beautiful and experimental example of minimalism in modern classical music. It feels like the soundtrack to a really lonely woods area that you're walking around in, with these polished compositions being a key factor.
Fav Tracks: The Rest of Us, In the Vespers, With the Dark Hug of Time, Never Were the Way She Was, The Sun Roars Into View, Won't Be a Thing to Become
Least Fav Track: Flight
Score:
9.4
Outstanding
7/10
good
Fav tracks: The Sun Roars Into View, Won't Be a Thing to Become, In the Vespers, And Still They Move, The Rest of Us
One of the most overlooked albums of the decade for sure, a really great collaborative effort here. It's an incredibly atmospheric album that i've consistently returned to, probably my favourite thing either of these two artists have ever done.
7/10
good
Fav tracks: The Sun Roars Into View, Won't Be a Thing to Become, In the Vespers, And Still They Move, The Rest of Us
Colin Stetson is in a league of his own in the ability he has to create haunting, ethereal dronescapes. This album is no different and it’s only enhanced with the company of Sarah Neufeld adding a delicate layer to Stetson’s pulsating backbone.
1 | The Sun Roars Into View 7:37 | 86 |
2 | Won't Be a Thing to Become 3:24 | 87 |
3 | In the Vespers 6:01 | 86 |
4 | And Still They Move 2:56 | 81 |
5 | With the Dark Hug of Time 6:33 | 83 |
6 | The Rest of Us 6:30 | 88 |
7 | Never Were the Way She Was 8:12 | 80 |
8 | Flight 1:38 |
#1 | / | Norman Records |
#45 | / | The Needle Drop |