Joe Westerlund: Curiosities From the Shift

"After recording alone at Sylvan Esso's studio, Westerlund had friends like Califone's Tim Rutili, saxophonist Sam Gendel, and violinist Libby Rodenbough make their marks, drawing out the songfulness of his pitched percussion and electronic washes-his kaleidoscopic mills of hand drums, shakers, metallophones, thumb pianos, flutes, field recordings, and so on. To call it a percussion album probably gives the wrong idea of austerity and intensity, when the music is really driven by its transparent density and uncanny efflorescence of textures and colors."

"For all of his evident technical ability, Westerlund's music seems most concerned with vibe and feel, and each track on Curiosities gives us a different way to perceive meaning in motion. "Nu Male Uno" is moist-eyed like Animal Collective, draping a swaying theme over a sashaying ant-line of little pulses. "Peebles 'n' Stones" is an array of seemingly disparate parts-unwinding clockwork, essayistic constructions of mixed percussion, glassily shattering piano phrases-inextricably linked like falling dominos."

"There are still many surprises to come-the dubby noir of "Persurverance," the computerized scramble and galumph of "Furahai," the perfumed Italo splashes of "Midpoint," and the mighty churn of "Elegy (for OLAibi)," which begins in sinuous reverie and ends in rapture. Throughout his work, Westerlund makes beats feel less like unilateral lines and more like vast webs vibrating with sympathetic reactions-percussion as ecosystem, not the bulldozer plowing through it."

The recording took place at Sylvan Esso's studio, with contributions from Califone's Tim Rutili, saxophonist Sam Gendel, and violinist Libby Rodenbough. The music centers on pitched percussion and electronic washes—hand drums, shakers, metallophones, thumb pianos, flutes, and field recordings—creating kaleidoscopic mills of sound. The work emphasizes transparent density and an efflorescence of textures and colors rather than austerity. The sound is vivid and exciting like techno yet not dance-oriented, and also beautiful and subtle like concert music without excessive solemnity. Tracks vary in mood and form, prioritizing vibe and feel through webs of sympathetic rhythmic interaction.

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