Urban Dictionary defines the bass clarinet as “The best damn instrument in the whole band. Way better than a clarinet.” Disagree as we might with the total value of that online resource, it’s hard to find fault with this particular definition. Think about it: the bass clarinet is such a badass instrument that odds are the bass clarinet players you know are also the baddest motherfuckers you know.
You might not know Seán Mac Erlaine from Seth MacFarlane, but only the former plays bass clarinet. This post could really end here — boom: premiere — but there’s more. “The Melting Song” is on Music for Empty Ears, which finds Dublin-based Mac Erlaine in post-genre combo-convo with Norwegian jazzmen Jan Bang on samples and bass drum, and Eivind Aarset on guitar and electronics. Mac Erlaine also handles clarinet, chalumeaux, bawu, alto saxophone, synthesizer, live electronics, and Wurlitzer duties on the album, but possibly only so those other instruments don’t get too jealous of the bass clarinet, which, to reiterate, is unequivocally the best.
Pre-order here before its May 25 release on Ergodos. And now the premiere. Booooooom (like the sound the bass clarinet makes).
More about: Eivind Aarset, Jan Bang, Sean Mac Erlaine
