After so many recordings, it is still not exactly possible to pin down what the shifting collective that goes under the name of Balmorhea does musically. Its latest release, Pendant World is just another addition to this process of incorporating many different styles and genres. After all, as a project that crosses musical boundaries, you just don’t simply end up on a classically-minded label like Deutsche Grammophon.
Perhaps it all lies in the fact that the core duo of Rob Lowe and Michael A. Muller are essentially restless musical characters that always spread out a wide net of musical interests, always involving acoustic instruments and moving from post-modern classical to post-rock and anything that touches on all forms of non-electronic ambient music – this time around also venturing into the ‘red hot’ genre of ambient Americana.
As is usually the case with Balmorhea, there is an exceptional line-up of regular collaborators (violinist/vocalist Aisha Burns and cellist Clarice Jensen) and guest artists, including experimental jazz saxophonist Sam Gendel, Joseph Shabason on tenor saxophone and flute, clarinetist Jonathan Sielaff, percussionist Jason Treuting and vocalists Steph Jenkins and Lisa Morgenstern.
And no matter what musical route Lowe and Mueller take, the results are nothing less than exceptional and utterly satisfying musically, coming up with yet another great Balmorhea release.
