By: Gareth Watkin
Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld | website | facebook |
Released on April 28, 2015 via Constellation Records
Saxophonist Colin Stetson teams up with his partner Sarah Neufeld for the release of their collaborative album effort Never Were The Way She Was. Featuring Neufeld on violin and Stetson performing his powerful saxophone melodies and recording without overdubs, the album showcases the incredible talent from these two Canadian musicians, coming across as one of the most essential releases both artists have released thus far in their extensive careers.
Never Were The Way She Was sees the incredible power of Neufeld and Stetson being combined in incredible ways, resulting in a musical experience that neither artist could achieve on their own. Hugely powerful, multiple layers of saxophone accompany haunting yet beautiful violin performances, resulting in a listening experience that is some of the most creative music ever created by two individuals, and is impossible to either ignore or forget. Much of the album seems dark and foreboding, utilising the deep notes of saxophones and the high-pitched notes of violins to create a symbiotic musical experience, where everything stands out by itself, whilst harmonising with each other perfectly.
Like both Stetson and Neufeld’s solo releases, Never Were The Way She Was features a very experimental edge, and one that brings with it an almost inaccessible quality to the album. The music featured on the album can at times feel like rather challenging work to listen to, though one that ultimately gives those open to the experimental edge a wonderful listening experience. The underlying concept of both Stetson and Neufeld’s methods in composition might also be a bit difficult to get one’s head around, though it results in some of the most powerful and impressive experimental music.
Never Were The Way She Was features many elements one might expect from either Neufeld or Stetson, though it hardly makes the whole album experience any less impressive. Both artists have pushed out their own respective talents to great lengths on their debut collaborative album, one that features the best of each artist’s own branch of music. Although much of the album feels rather dark for the most part, there’s also a wonderful beauty to much of the music, mostly in how Stetson and Neufeld combine their instruments and their own voices in unusual yet harmonious ways. This is certainly a powerful album, and one that is certainly required listening for the fans.
