Name: Mechanics Of Dominion
Brand: Esmerine

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

CST128CD

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music US

Limited edition

Release date

2017-10-20

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Secre­tly

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

666561012823

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Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Esmerine

Genre US

Post Rock

Label US

Constellation

Esmerine is a musical ensemble formed by Bruce Cawdron, Beckie Foon, Brian Sanderson, and Philippe Charbonneau. Originally a duet consisting of Cawdron and Foon, Esmerine released their first album outside of their involvement with "Godspeed You! Black Emperor," "A Silver Mt. Zion," and "Set Fire To Flames." Unlike their previous projects, Esmerine's music focuses on drums, melodic percussion, and cello rather than guitars.

The band expanded its lineup for their third album in 2011 with the addition of Sarah Page and Andrew Barr. However, as Page and Barr became more involved with Barr Brothers duties, Esmerine solidified its touring lineup as a quartet with Jamie Thompson and Brian Sanderson for their fourth album in 2013.

With influences from Rachels and Clogs among others, Esmerine creates captivating compositions that showcase the unique combination of marimba, drums, melodic percussion, cello, violin, and contrabass. Their mesmerizing sound has garnered them comparisons to artists such as Hangedup,Hrsta,Silver Mt. Zion,Fly Pan Am,Efrim Manuel Menuck,and Do Make Say Think.

Esmerine is the modern chamber ensemble co-founded by cellist Rebecca Foon (Saltland, Silver Mt Zion) and percussionist Bruce Cawdron (Godspeed You! Black Emperor). Following their previous album Lost Voices (2016 Juno nominee for Instrumental Album and winner for Album Packaging), Esmerine embarked on a soundtrack commission for an NFB documentary about independent journalism in the Middle East. Those sessions kept rolling throughout 2016-2017, informed by anxiety over the reactionary, regressive, seemingly irresolvable disharmony of human oppression/domination and our ever-accelerating degradation/denial of nature. Mechanics Of Dominion is Esmerine's most dynamic and narratively-informed work, tracing an arc through Neo-Classical, Minimalist, Modern Contemporary, Folk, Baroque, Jazz and Rock idioms to invoke lamentation, meditation, resolve, resistance and hope. It is a requiem for our intractably complex and suffering planet and a paean to the imperative wisdom of indigenous ethics. Stylistically, the album brings mallet instruments to the fore: marimba, glockenspiel and piano are a prominent through-line on the album's diverse tracks. Multi-instrumentalist Brian Sanderson's stately melodic lines on horns and acoustic strings also provide formidable elements in the ceremonious lyricism and keening vitality of this song cycle. Montreal visual artist Jean-Sebastien Denis provides brilliant abstract compositions for the album's deluxe artwork and packaging.

Mechanics Of Dominion

Music US