Ex-Easter Island Head

Ex-Easter Island Head
The group playing live in Liverpool in 2021; from left to right: Hering, Fair, Hunt, Duvall
Background information
Also known as	Ex-EIH, E-EIH, EEIH
Origin	Liverpool, England
Genres	Minimalist experimental post-rock process music [1]
Years active	2009 (2009)–present
Labels	Low Point Tombed Visions Rocket Recordings KPM Music
Spinoffs	Whistling Arrow [2] The Aleph [3] Land Trance [4]
Members	Benjamin D. Duvall Benjamin Fair Jonathan Hering Andrew PM Hunt
Past members	George R. Maund Jacob Chabeaux Nicholas Hunt
Website	exeasterislandhead.com

Ex-Easter Island Head (sometimes abbreviated as EEIH) is an English musical ensemble formed in Liverpool in 2009. ^[5] Led by founding member Benjamin D. Duvall, the ensemble currently operates as a quartet with Duvall, Benjamin Fair, Jonathan Hering, and Andrew PM Hunt. Together they are recognised for their use of prepared tabletop guitars as percussion instruments and for composing and performing music that "explore[s] group interplay, repetition and melodic invention through purposefully limited means." ^[6]

The collective's output has drawn comparisons to guitar-centric compositions by American no wave pioneers Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca, as well as to minimalist Steve Reich's ensemble works. Their music has also been likened to the styles of bands like Battles ^[7] and Slint, ^[8] as well as to "more avant-garde inclinations of performers such as Bang on a Can or Sō Percussion". ^[9]

The collective gained critical acclaim with a trio of Mallet Guitars recordings (2010–2013). Mallet Guitars One (2011) and Mallet Guitars Three (2013) were named among the best avant rock of their respective years by The Wire. ^{[10] [11]} Meanwhile, Mallet Guitars Two / Music For Moai Hava (2012) was featured in Pitchfork’s New Best Music category. ^[12] Their latest album, Norther (2024), topped The Quietus' Top 100 Albums of the Year 2024. ^[13]

Discography

Duvall coined the name, Ex-Easter Island Head , but its origin remains uncertain. In a 2012 interview with The Wire, he stated, "I can't remember how I came up with our name; it doesn't really mean anything."

Studio albums

• Mallet Guitars Trilogy:
  • Mallet Guitars One (Low Point, 2010)
  • Mallet Guitars Two / Music For Moai Hava (Low Point, 2012)
  • Mallet Guitars Three (Low Point, 2013)
• Large Electric Ensemble (Low Point, 2014)
• Twenty-Two Strings (Low Point, 2016)
• Norther (Rocket Recordings, 2024)

Singles

• Two Commissions for Cassette Tape (Tombed Visions, 2014)
• Lodge (not on label, 2020)
• Norther (Rocket Recordings, 2024)

Collaborations

• Whistling Arrow (God Unknown Records, 2019) — recorded under the moniker Whistling Arrow, featuring Charles Hayward, Laura Cannell, and André Bosman as collaborators

Production and library music

• Mechanical Landscapes Vol. 1 (KPM Music, 2020)
• Mechanical Landscapes Vol. 2 (KPM Music, 2020)

Music videos

• Six Sticks (2016), from the album Twenty-Two Strings.
• Twenty-Two Strings (2017), from the album Twenty-Two Strings.
• Sixteen Snares (2017), from the album Twenty-Two Strings.
• Norther (2024), from the album Norther.
• Magnetic Language (2024), from the album Norther.

See also

• Yuri Landman
• Arnold Dreyblatt
• Music of Liverpool

References

1. "Watch: Ex-Easter Island Head shares new video for 'Sixteen Snares'". Le Guess Who? . 2017-10-25. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
2. Cory, Lara C (2019-11-21). "Ritual Union: Whistling Arrow Feat. Laura Cannell & Charles Hayward". The Quietus . Retrieved 2024-04-05.
3. Turner, Luke (April 25, 2018). "WATCH: The Aleph Video". The Quietus . Retrieved February 4, 2025.
4. Clarke, Patrick (June 17, 2020). "Meeting Of Memories: An Interview With Land Trance". The Quietus . Retrieved February 4, 2025.
5. Bliss, Abi (September 2012). "Hammer heads. Ex-Easter Island Head beat out DIY minimalism on cheap guitars". The Wire . No. 343. p. 10 – via Exact Editions.(subscription required)
6. "EX-EASTER ISLAND HEAD + MÉSANGE – MATINEE & EVENING SHOWS" . Retrieved 2024-04-05.
7. Goldsmith, Mike (November 3, 2016). "Twenty-Two Strings | Ex-Easter Island Head". Record Collector . Retrieved April 5, 2024.
8. Ratliff, Ben (January 24, 2014). "An Old-Style Jazzman, and Voices of Iran's Past". The New York Times . Retrieved April 4, 2024.
9. "EX-EASTER ISLAND HEAD: Mallet Guitars One". Boomkat.com. 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
10. "Genre Charts A-Z. Avant rock A-Z". The Wire . No. 335. January 2012. p. 48 – via Exact Editions.(subscription required)
11. "Columnists' charts A-Z. Avant rock A-Z". The Wire . No. 359. January 2014. p. 56 – via Exact Editions.(subscription required)
12. Snapes, Laura (September 19, 2012). "Mallet Guitars Two Second Movement—Ex-Easter Island Head". Pitchfork . Retrieved April 4, 2024.
13. "The Quietus Albums of the Year 2024 (In Association with Norman Records)". The Quietus . December 2, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2025.

Further reading

• Catling, Simon Jay (7 December 2012), "Music For Mallet Musicians: Ex-Easter Island Head Interviewed", The Quietus.
• Clarke, Patrick (27 December 2024), "tQ Subscriber Release: Ex-Easter Island Head", The Quietus.
• Davies, Jon (4 August 2016), "Ex-Easter Island Head: A Guide to Minimalism", The Skinny.
• Gottlieb, Ophira (8 May 2024), "Talking About The Weather: Ex-Easter Island Head Interviewed", The Quietus.
• Snapes, Laura (31 October 2024), "Fishing lines, mobile phones, and Wirral wind – the oddly harmonious music of Ex-Easter Island Head", The Guardian.
• Strain, Lauren (19 June 2013), "New Blood: Ex-Easter Island Head", The Skinny.
• Woolfrey, Chris (11 December 2012), "Music For Mallet Musicians: Ex-Easter Island Head Interviewed", Noisey.

External links

• Official website
• Ex-Easter Island Head on Bandcamp
• Ex-Easter Island Head discography at Discogs
• Ex-Easter Island Head at Rocket Recordings
• Meet Ex-Easter Island Head at Museum Sessions (May 2024)
• Ex-Easter Island Head NTS Live at Church Of Sound (October 2016)
• Stream Ex-Easter Island Head tracks on The Wire (August 2012)