The Golden Years . Trapist
staubgold digital 19 . analog 11
2012. cd . dl . lp
'If Morton Feldman, John Cage and David Tudor had formed a rock band, they might have sounded a bit like this.' (Peter Marsh/BBC)
Restraint is a key word in the Trapist musical vocabulary which is no wonder as the group's name relates to the Trappist fraternity whose devotion is demonstrated by their silence. Whereas on previous albums the group often relied on drastical editing and melodic ornamentation in order to escape restraint, 'The Golden Years' displays a newly gained maturity which is breathtaking: Trapist bring the attack and release game to a climax never heard before. Sharp shocks of black and white with some golden silence in between.
Drawing from both a wide variety of influences ranging from space rock to improvised minimal music, and from folk-influenced psychedelia to noise as well as the members' numerous collaborations the band has managed to establish an unique ensemble sound defying categorization, blending both acoustic and electronic instruments as well as blurring the gaps between improvisational music and prestructured forms. Their blend of sparse improvisation and delicate electronics is a welcome and refreshing change for fans of electronic and free music of all types.
Trapist
Trapist is Martin Brandlmayr on drums, Martin Siewert on guitars & electronics and Joe Williamson on bass. Since they started working as a trio in 2000 Trapist have released two full-length albums, 'Highway My Friend' on Hat Hut/Hatology (2002) and 'Ballroom' on Thrill Jockey (2004).
Bassist Williamson has collaborated with Paul Lovens, Kletka Red (Leonid Soybelman, Andy Moor, Tony Buck), Eugene Chadbourne, Steve Beresford, Sven-Ake Johansson and many others. He is a member of the Tobias Delius Quartet (w/Tristan Honsinger, Han Bennink), Weird Weapons (Olaf Rupp, Tony Buck) and the Electrics (Sture Ericson, Axel Dörner, Raymond Strid) and released three solo bass albums.
Guitarist Siewert's collaborations include work with Taku Sugimoto, Wayne Horvitz, Kammerflimmer Kollektief, Ken Vandermark, Christian Fennesz, Kevin Drumm, Otomo Yoshihide, Fuckhead to name just a few. Moreover he plays in Heaven And and in Fake the Facts (with Mats Gustafsson and Dieb13), and has now joined Radian.
Apart from his work in Radian, Drummer Brandlmayr is part of Polwechsel and Autistic Daughters (with Dean Roberts and Werner Dafeldecker) and collaborated with Axel Dörner, Christian Fennesz, David Sylvian, Sachiko M, John Tilbury, Ken Vandermark, Otomo Yoshihide and many others.