Jarboe and Helen Money Collaborate on New Release, Due in March
Given the avant garde tendencies of former Swans vocalist Jarboe and Chicago-based cellist Helen Money (née Alison Chesley), I wouldn’t want to hazard a guess at what a collaboration between the two might actually sound like in any detail or what stylistic turns or atmospheres it might present, but “textured” seems as fair a bet as any I might be willing to make. Helen Money‘s most recent album, 2013’s Arriving Angels (review here), gracefully layered progressive washes of her central instrument, but expanded around it as well, and anyone who dares predict what Jarboe‘s going to get up to on a given album is most likely just full of shit. Some of it will be very, very dark, and again, textured, but that’s as far as I’ll go.
The Jarboe and Helen Money self-titled LP is out in March on Aurora Borealis, and they’re touring Europe in Feb. Info and background off the PR wire:
Jarboe and Helen Money join forces on wondrous new release due out on Aurora Borealis on CD and LP formats
Aurora Borealis is proud to announce the arrival of the stunning new six-track release from Jarboe and Helen Money, both of whom will be touring in Europe in February in support of their record.
Legend of underground music Jarboe joins forces with visionary cellist Helen Money (aka Alison Chesley) to create what is probably the most beautiful release in the label’s history. While still a “heavy” record in many ways, Chesley’s cello looming massive and distorted over much of the proceedings, there are moments of transcendent beauty with Jarboe’s ethereal vocal and piano work soaring above the drones, reaching for the beyond.
Jarboe, famed vocalist, musician and performer, came to prominence as co-front and co-writer in Swans, and over the past three decades has amassed 36 solo albums as well as over 63 collaborative projects with artists including… Philip Anselmo, Attila Csihar, Blixa Bargeld, Bill Laswell, John Fryer, Jim Thirlwell, Merzbow, Kris Force, Lustmord, PanSonic, Mark Spybey, Steven Severin, Chris Connelly, Alan Sparhawk, Neurosis, Edward KaSpel, William Faith, Monica Richards, David J, David Torn, Bill Rieflin, Iva Davies, Julia Kent, Zoe Keating, Anni Hogan, Meredith Yayanos, A Perfect Circle, Colin Marston, Cobalt, Cattle Decapitation, Byla, Justin K. Broadrick, Jesu, Peter Valsamis, Josh Graham, Esoteric, Vampillia, Crone… Jarboe’s influence on modern experimental music is as much bound to quality as it is astonishingly quantitative. Her accolades reflect this; Jarboe has performed and recorded in scores of countries, appeared in books, films and games, and most recently was chosen to become one of the twelve members of the National Parks Arts Foundation 2015-2016 Advisory Board.
Helen Money is the nomme de guerre of cellist Alison Chesley, an extraordinary musician capable of wholly unorthodox and often pitch-black explorations of her instrument’s farthest frontiers. In addition to working with Mono, Anthrax and Russian Circles, she has toured with Joe Lally and Shellac among others, and released her doom-stricken third album Arriving Angels on respected label Profound Lore in 2013.
Working together and separately on the compositions, the record comes together as a seamless whole under the mastering of Kris Force, with moments of sparse beauty mirrored by howling squawls of intensity. This is a very human record, organic, the voice of Jarboe and the many textured strings of Chesley’s cello combining with an earthy depth but reaching for the stars.
Aurora Borealis will be releasing Jarboe and Helen Money on March 2nd as a black vinyl LP and 4 panel digifile to coincide with their February European tour. They will be joined on dates by Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten) and Danielle de Picciotto (Crime & The City Solution) – see the tour poster for full dates.
www.thelivingjarboe.com
www.helenmoney.com
www.aurora-b.com
