Daniel Blumberg "Minus (Mute)"
Minus (Mute), the solo debut from Daniel Blumberg finds a musician finally arriving at the spot he was always meant to be. Daniel, only 27 years old, has sent years in various bands of his own device as well as working with the likes of David Berman, Low, Lambchop, and Neil Michael Hagerty. Now on Minus, we find Daniel in an almost experimental classical meets modern improvisational jazz meets singer-songwriter mode. The result is something like Harry Nilsson meets Philip Glass meets Radiohead. Pianos, violins, drums, guitars, and other instruments do exactly what you don’t expect them to do, and do it so hauntingly well you’ll swear that you are listening to a newly invented genre of music. Maybe you are? (Ooh! Exciting! If you discover a new genre, you get to name it like a scientist finding a new species. Name it after your favorite pet maybe? That’s always a crowd pleaser). Every time you think you’ve figured out what’s going on here, some surprising element crashes its way into the sonic landscape and leaves you bewildered. Check out the title track “Minus” and decide for yourself.