ANNOUNCING: Latitude 49's "Wax and Wire"

ANNOUNCING:

LATITUDE 49
WAX AND WIRE

available exclusively through New Amsterdam's Windmill Series

feat. compositions by Gabriella Smith, Viet Cuong, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Chris Sies, + Annika Socolofsky

out on all digital platforms on February 7

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Cross-continental new music powerhouse Latitude 49 returns with flair and verve on their sophomore release Wax and Wire. Today New Amsterdam is excited to announce Wax and Wire's release through our subscription-only Windmill Series. The album will be available on all digital platforms on February 7. Stay tuned for details on album release shows in March!

Visit Bandcamp to listen + support.

This dynamic collection takes the listener on a genre-bending journey, careening wildly from the visceral to the sublime. From the psychedelic pulsations of Gabriella Smith’s "Number Nine" (an homage to the Beatles’ “Revolution 9”) flows Viet Cuong’s whimsical showpiece "Wax and Wire," establishing the record’s charisma and variety right away. Ruminant works by Annika Socolofsky and Chris Sies direct us inward: Socolofsky’s "a sense of who" challenges us to consider ourselves in light of the communities we inhabit, while "these (were) used to harm" by Latitude 49’s own Chris Sies employs effects inspired by specific songs that have been used as means of torture against a sometimes thrashing chambercore background. Two works by Sarah Kirkland Snider provide the record’s most intimate moments, with the swirling trio "Thread and Fray" unfurling tightly-knit textures while the cleansing, haunting, but ultimately hopeful "You Are Free" closes out the record in a state of utter contemplation.

The powerhouse mixed-chamber ensemble is dedicated to exploring new sounds, engaging diverse audiences, and holding hands with composers of today. Equally at home in clubs, modern art museums, classrooms, and traditional concert halls, Latitude 49’s genre-bending approach blends the finesse of a classical ensemble with the drive and precision of a progressive rock band. Members come together from across Canada and the United States, epitomizing an unconventional family of sounds, instruments, and human experiences.

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TRACKLIST
1. Number Nine (Gabriella Smith, 2013)
2. Wax and Wire (Viet Cuong, 2014, 2016)
3. Thread and Fray (Sarah Kirkland Snider, 2006)
4. a sense of who (Annika Socolofsky, 2015, 2016)
5. these (were) used to harm (Chris Sies, 2017)
6. You Are Free (Sarah Kirkland Snider, 2015)

PERFORMERS
Latitude 49
Max Geissler, Cello
Andy Hall, Saxophones
Andy Hudson, Clarinets
Jani Parsons, Piano
Chris Sies, Percussion and Electronics

Track 4 features the voice of Evan Chambers, recorded by Annika Socolofsky in Ann Arbor, Michigan