| Handwriting | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 23, 1995 (U.S.) | |||
| Recorded | Spring 1991 – October 1994 | |||
| Genre | Instrumental, post-rock | |||
| Length | 43:50 | |||
| Label | Quarterstick [1] | |||
| Rachel's chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes |  [4] |
Handwriting is the debut album by the instrumental group Rachel's. [5] [6] It was released in May 1995 on Quarterstick Records. [7]
Trouser Press wrote: "Using vibes, winds and traps, 'M. Daguerre' is the closest to jazz the ensemble gets, but the song’s main theme gives way to effective, unsettling improv, as well as delicate passages led by [Rachel] Grimes’ piano and a string section." [8]
Meredith Jane Monk is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer.
Rachel's were an American chamber music group that formed in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1991. Former Rodan guitarist Jason Noble played music individually and referred to himself as Rachel's but then began collaborating with core members violist Christian Frederickson and pianist Rachel Grimes. The group's work was strongly influenced by classical music, particularly inspired by the minimalist music of the late 20th century, and its compositions reflect this. While the trio formed the core part of the band, the group's recordings and performances featured a varying ensemble of musicians, who played a range of string instruments in combination with piano, guitars, electric bass guitar, and a drum set that included a large orchestral bass drum. A key influence on the music of Rachel's was the music of the English composer Michael Nyman, whose music the group's work resembles in both instrumentation and compositional style.
Motherland is the third solo album by Natalie Merchant, released in 2001. It was her last studio album released on Elektra Records.
Mario Davidovsky was an Argentine-American composer. Born in Argentina, he emigrated in 1960 to the United States, where he lived for the remainder of his life. He is best known for his series of compositions called Synchronisms, which in live performance incorporate both acoustic instruments and electroacoustic sounds played from a tape.
Timothy "Tim" George Hodgkinson is an English experimental music composer and performer, principally on reeds, lap steel guitar, and keyboards. He first became known as one of the core members of the British avant-rock group Henry Cow, which he formed with Fred Frith in 1968. After the demise of Henry Cow, he participated in numerous bands and projects, eventually concentrating on composing contemporary music and performing as an improviser.
The Disconnection is the second album by Carina Round. It was released in October 2003. The album was released in the UK with a cover shot by Anoushka Fisz, then released in 2004 with a different, less disturbing cover photo, on Interscope Records in the US. The album garnished comparisons to Björk, Jeff Buckley and Robert Plant.
Movietone is an English post-rock band. They formed in Bristol, England in 1994. Core members are Kate Wright and Rachel Brook, with Wright being the main songwriter.
James Dillon is a Scottish composer who is often regarded as belonging to the New Complexity school. Dillon studied art and design, linguistics, piano, acoustics, Indian rhythm, mathematics and computer music, but is self-taught in composition.
Martin Bresnick is a composer of contemporary classical music, film scores and experimental music.
The Sand and The Stars is an album by the Bristol-based band Movietone. It was partly recorded on a beach in Cornwall Its intention was to sound 'like a jazz record being played from across the bay'. This was inspired by a review of their previous album, which had described their music that way.
The Sonora Pine was an American indie rock band founded by Tara Jane O'Neil.
Systems/Layers is the final LP by the instrumental group Rachel's. It was released on October 7, 2003, on Quarterstick Records. The album is a collaborative dance/theater piece with the New York ensemble SITI Company.
Full On Night is a collaborative EP between Rachel's and Matmos. It was released on Quarterstick Records in May 2000 and contains two tracks. Matmos remarks that:
Gary Kulesha is a Canadian composer, pianist, conductor, and educator. Since 1995, he has been Composer Advisor to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He has been Composer-in-Residence with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (1988–1992) and the Canadian Opera Company (1993–1995). He was awarded the National Arts Centre Orchestra Composer Award in 2002. He currently teaches on the music faculty at the University of Toronto.
Svante Henryson is a composer, cellist, bass guitarist and double bassist, active within jazz, classical music, and hard rock.
Gabriel Prokofiev is a Russian-British composer, producer, DJ, and Artistic Director of the Nonclassical record label and nightclub.
Dr Heckle and Mr Jive is the debut album by English band Pigbag, released in 1982 by record label Y. It reached No. 18 on the UK national charts and No. 1 on the UK independent chart.
