| Automaginary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2015 | |||
| Genre | Free jazz, minimalism, post-rock | |||
| Length | 41:42 | |||
| Label | Drag City DC626 | |||
| Natural Information Society chronology | ||||
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| Bitchin Bajas chronology | ||||
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Automaginary is a 2015 collaborative album by the Natural Information Society and Bitchin Bajas.
The album was released in 2015 on vinyl and cassette by Drag City. Natural Information Society, a largely acoustic ensemble, is led by double bassist and guimbri player Joshua Abrams, and features guitarist Emmett Kelly, autoharpist and keyboardist Ben Boye, harmonium player Lisa Alvarado, and drummer Frank Rosaly. Bitchin Bajas, using electronic instruments, is led by keyboardist Cooper Crain, and features bass clarinetist and flutist Rob Frye, and synthesizer player Dan Quinlivan. [1] [2] [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Pitchfork |    [4] |
In a review for AllMusic, Paul Simpson wrote: "The album generally sounds closer to Bitchin Bajas' cosmic zone-outs than Natural Information Society's exciting bursts of energy, but that doesn't mean the album is a snooze... Automaginary is a fluid collaboration with both parties completely tuned into the same wavelength, resulting in a sublime blending of kindred spirits." [1]
Pitchfork's Aaron Leitko stated: "Bajas and Abrams both find serenity amid perceived stasis—making music that sounds repetitive, but is constantly undergoing subtle scene shifts and mutations... Automaginary works because both excel at making music that feels thoroughly modern, but also ancient." [4]
Marc Masters of NPR Music noted that, on the album, "the insistent, hypnotic pulses of NIS meld with Bitchin Bajas' drone-tinted layers like gentle rain falling from dense clouds." He singled out "Sign Spinners" for praise, commenting: "This airy, spacious music grows and grows without ever sounding cluttered." [5]
Writing for Boing Boing , David Pescovitz called the album "stunning," and suggested that it will "launch you into the droney, pulsing minimalism pioneered by the likes of Terry Riley and Steve Reich but with a Krautrock edge." [6]
In an article for HHV Magazine, Sebastian Hinz noted "the sheer joy of the mix between wild improvisation and restraint" heard in "On No Fade," and wrote: "For Bitchin Bajas, the collaboration is a blessing. It's as if they've let the stoned Genie out of the bong." [7]
Colin Joyce of Spin included Automaginary in his list of "The 20 Best Avant Albums of 2015." [8]
Author and music historian James Piazza stated: "It was an absolute delight to be introduced to a quality release which encompasses a trifecta of my favorite musical styles. From the first note, this triumph embodies all of the elements I enjoy in a composition." [9]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "On No Fade" | 19:24 |
| 2. | "Anemometer" | 4:27 |
| 3. | "Tricks Me My Mind" | 5:18 |
| 4. | "Sign Spinners" | 4:31 |
| 5. | "Automaginary" | 7:58 |
Xiu Xiu is an American experimental rock band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of multi-instrumentalists Stewart, Angela Seo, and percussionist David Kendrick. The band's name comes from the film Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl, which has influenced the sound of their music, according to Stewart.
"Bizarre Love Triangle" is a song by English rock band New Order, released as a single in November 1986 from their fourth studio album, Brotherhood (1986), which reached the top five on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart, and No. 5 on the Australian ARIA Charts in March 1987. It failed to enter the top 40 of both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100; however, a new mix included on The Best of New Order was released in 1994 and charted at No. 98 on the Hot 100. In 2004, the song was ranked No. 204 on Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."
Harmonium was a Quebec progressive rock band formed in 1972 in Montreal. It became one of the most well-known music bands in the province of Québec in the 1970s and continues to hold an iconic and influential status to this day.
Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison, also known as Les Cinq Saisons, is the second studio album by Québécois progressive rock band Harmonium, released on 15 April 1975 by PolyGram. The album marked a departure from the folk rock sound of the band's self-titled debut album towards a unique progressive rock sound, and also marked the growth of the band, as members Serge Fiori, Michel Normandeau and Louis Valois were joined by Pierre Daigneault and Serge Locat.
Träd, Gräs & Stenar is a Swedish rock band formed in 1969, from previous incarnations Pärson Sound, International Harvester and Harvester. The group was one of the front acts of the Swedish progg scene, although noticeably less political than their contemporary counterparts. Their sound has been described as raw, psych rock jam, by the writer David Pescovitz, who also notes the band would invite their audiences to improvise and collaborate.
Selected Works: 1972–1999 is a compilation box set by the Eagles, released in 2000. The box set consists of four CDs featuring their greatest hits, album tracks, previously unreleased live performances recorded on 29–31 December 1999 in Las Vegas and Los Angeles and a 44-page booklet. This set chronicles their work from their debut 1972 self-titled album Eagles to the 1999 millennium concert performed at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, December 31, 1999.
Emmett Kelly is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is the primary songwriter and recording artist of The Cairo Gang, one half of The Double alongside drummer Jim White, one third of The CIA and a founding member of Clinamen. He has contributed vocal and instrumental work to a variety of international musical projects, appearing on recordings by the likes of Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Ty Segall, Angel Olsen, Azita, Joan of Arc, Edith Frost, Women and Children, John Webster Johns, Jeff Harms, Chicago poet/singer Marvin Tate, Matteah Baim, Japanese musician Takuma Watanabe, Earth Girl Helen Brown, Joshua Abrams and Rob Mazurek. Kelly has toured in several of the aforementioned acts in addition to with Baby Dee, CFM, Mikal Cronin, Sonny Smith, Beth Orton, and Terry Reid; and in other instances, performed live with Chan Marshall, Scott Tuma, Joan of Arc, and Pillars and Tongues. He is also one half of the band The Surf, The Sundried, and a founding member of Chicago's Psychojail.
Joshua Abrams is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist who plays the double bass and guimbri.
Lisa Alvarado is an American visual artist and harmonium player.
Natural Information Society is a music ensemble described as “ecstatic minimalism”. The group formed in 2010 and is led by multi-instrumentalist and composer Joshua Abrams. NPR called the group a "staple" of the underground music scene in Chicago. Their performances often include the paintings of Lisa Alvarado.
Bitchin Bajas is an American band operated as a side-project by Cooper Crain, who is also guitarist/organist of the Chicago band Cave. The other members are Dan Quinlivan and Rob Frye.
Frank Rosaly is a Puerto Rican American drummer, composer, and sound designer associated with a transparent compositional approach to drumming across various styles of music including jazz, improvisation, rock and experimental music. Rosaly also composes for film.
Descension (Out of Our Constrictions) is a live album by Natural Information Society, featuring guimbri player Joshua Abrams, bass clarinetist Jason Stein, harmonium player Lisa Alvarado, drummer Mikel Patrick Avery, and special guest soprano saxophonist Evan Parker. It was recorded on July 9, 2019, at Cafe Oto in London, and was released in 2021 by both Eremite Records, based in the United States, and Aguirre Records, a Belgian label.
Since Time Is Gravity is an album by the Natural Information Society Community Ensemble, led by double bassist and guimbri player Joshua Abrams. It was recorded on May 18, 2021, at the Graham Foundation in Chicago, Illinois, and on August 24, 2021, at Electrical Audio in Chicago, and was released in 2023 as a double-LP set by both Eremite Records, based in the United States, and Aguirre Records, a Belgian label. On the album, Abrams is joined by alto saxophonists Nick Mazzarella and Mai Sugimoto, bass clarinetist Jason Stein, cornetists Josh Berman and Ben Lamar Gay, harmonium player Lisa Alvarado, harpist Kara Bershad, percussionists Mikel Patrick Avery and Hamid Drake, and a guest artist, tenor saxophonist Ari Brown.
Mandatory Reality is a 2019 album by guimbri player Joshua Abrams and the Natural Information Society.
Simultonality is a 2017 album by multi-instrumentalist and composer Joshua Abrams and the Natural Information Society.
Mind Maintenance is an album by the duo of the same name, featuring Joshua Abrams on guimbri and Chad Taylor on mbira. It was released on vinyl in 2021 by the Drag City label.
Magnetoception is a 2015 album by multi-instrumentalist and composer Joshua Abrams, on which he is joined by members of the Natural Information Society.
Represencing is a 2012 album by multi-instrumentalist and composer Joshua Abrams, on which he is joined by members of the Natural Information Society.
Reggaeology is the third album by American drummer Hamid Drake and his group Bindu. Tracks 1 through 6 were recorded during May 6–8, 2009, at Soma Electronic Music Studios in Chicago, Illinois, while the remaining track was recorded on July 28, 2009, at Sape Shoppe Studio in Chicago. The recording, which blends jazz and reggae, was released on CD in 2010 by Rogueart. On the album, Drake is joined by vocalist Napoléon Maddox, who also provided most of the lyrics, trombonists Jeff Albert and Jeb Bishop, guitarist Jeff Parker, and double bassist Josh Abrams.