Tyondai Braxton - Central Market

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release
Soundclips

4...according to our Brett on Fri 11 Sep, 2009.

Being the son of a proper don, following in his footsteps on a career path and not totally embarrassing yourself is quite a feat. Tyondai (son of Anthony) Braxton could have gone the way of Rolan Bolan or Jordi Cruyff yet here is carving out a couple of impressive little niches for himself: making demented electro-classical LPs under his own name and moonlighting in the ace Battles. Central Market comes under the first banner, one minute conjuring up the cheeky pomp of Shostakovich's Variety Orchestra 'Waltz No. 2' and the next piling comical boingy sound effects, kazoos and those now-famous processed munchkin vocals on top of raging, dramatic strings. Challenging but definitely not without humour, this is a very unique listen which should be enough of a recommendation in these cookie cutter times. I'd urge any curious ears to check it out at their earliest convenience.. I think it might just be a winner. CD and deluxe limited double vinyl LP record thing on Warp.

To play these clips you need to either update your browser (Norman Records recommends Google Chrome) or update your Flash plugin.

• For more than a decade, Tyondai Braxton has fine-tuned his unique approach as
– quite literally – a solo artist. Working by himself on stage and in the studio, he
employed guitar, voice, looping and delay pedals plus various found objects to
create work that simulates the sound of a large ensemble.
• On his Warp Records debut and second full-length solo album, ‘Central Market’,
Braxton has composed for a real orchestra (the Wordless Music Orchestra,
perhaps best known for their performance of Jonny Greenwood’s solo
compositions) for the first time in his solo career.
• The result is an exhilarating mix of acoustic and electronic
instrumentation; surprisingly pastoral moments give way to more clangorous
passages that will immediately appeal to fans of avant-rock quartet,
Battles, of which Braxton is a member.
• Composed, arranged and produced by Braxton, the 7-track set features
guitars, vocals, electronics and percussion, unified to create orchestral
music re-imagined for the 21st century, and perhaps the 22nd as well.
• ‘Central Market’ introduces Braxton as an exceptional addition to the
world of New Music composers, while maintaining a strong hold on the poly-
rhythmic and technically awe-inspiring creations he is already known for.
• Available on CD and heavyweight high quality pressing on double gatefold
vinyl (including a free download of the album).
• Vinyl also includes an extra track not on the CD version.