Balter / Saunier

Angular, with corners full of sunshine. This three-way collaboration between composer Marcos Balter, chamber-music group Ensemble dal Niente, and experimental-indie fixtures Deerhoof sounds improbable in theory but is surprisingly coherent. It travels through moods and genre spaces effortlessly, skillfully traversing the extremely wide range of sonic possibilities available here (see especially the “Deerhoof Chamber Variations” that close the album). It brings together luminous sunshine and taut energy; warm French horn, chiming harp and carving electric guitars; meditation and chaos.