Black Host - Life in the Sugar Candle Mines (2013)

Northern Spy Records: NS 039
http://northernspy.11spot.com/black-host-life-in-the-sugar-candle-mines.html

* Gerald Cleaver: drums, sound design
* Cooper-Moore: piano, synth
* Brandon Seabrook: guitar
* Darius Jones: alto saxophone
* Pascal Niggenkemper: bass

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Cleaver_%28musician%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper-Moore
http://www.seabrookpowerplant.com/
http://www.dariusjonesmusic.com/
http://www.pascalniggenkemper.com/

Reviews
~~~~~~~

By Tim Niland

Black Host is a collective outfit consisting of Darius Jones on alto saxophone,
Brandon Seabrook on guitar, Cooper-Moore on piano and synthesizer, Pascal
Niggenkemper on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums. This represents a coming
together of some of the most interesting players on the avant-free scene and
they mix together melodic songs and wide open improvisation. They get off to a
roaring start with "Hover" and "Ayler Children" with the former developing a
powerful performance over the course of sixteen minutes, and on the latter, the
spirit of Albert Ayler is present as they develop simple themes into a
thrilling texture of improvisation. Seabrook builds electroshock guitar to a
pleasant cacophony as Jones adds wails of saxophone pushing the outer limits of
their conception, creating powerful, seething music. Ominous clanks and chords
move in on "Amsterdam/Frames" with vaporous gusts of electronics adding to the
ghostly labyrinth of the music. "Gromek" is a fascinating performance with
Cleaver building an industrial piston sound of propulsive drumming. Jones
develops eerie foghorn saxophone into the rhythmic incantations. The music
becomes a hypnotic abutment of sound, rushing forward with massive slabs of
noise. Fearsome and hyperkenetic music develops a deep beat over squiggly
electronics in as sampled lyrics bubble up on "Wrestling." "May Be Home" wraps
up the album with a mysterious opening that is spare and spacious, recalling
the ambiance of a lonely night in a big city. Piano and bass build a stark noir
soundscape with ominous portents.

--

By Paul Acquaro
http://www.freejazzblog.org/2013/07/black-host-slobber-pup-dark-atmospheric.html

By Hank Shteamer
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18085-black-host-life-in-the-sugar-candle-mines/

By S. Victor Aaron
http://somethingelsereviews.com/2013/05/27/black-host-life-in-the-sugar-candle-mines-2013/

By Troy Collins
http://www.pointofdeparture.org/PoD44/PoD44Cleaver.html