I’m listening to Kayo Dot right now, so allow me to channel what little knowledge of ballet I have by making a reasonable judgment on why rock-ish scores generally haven’t worked and don’t work in such a setting: the uncontrollable growing of that stereotypical long hair! Disregard, perhaps, more reasonable assumptions that the tone of rock music has a tendency to conjure disharmony with the fluid and graceful motions of the dancers; there’s actually a reason why the ladies of ballet commonly have their hair so tightly-packed into a virtual helmet around their skull — any melodic meandering into that once-devil music coaxes a follicular explosion! And don’t forget the emerging track marks! It really is a phenomenon. I’m surprised I’m the first to report on it.
Not wanting to tarnish with freakish controversy his legendary career as a choreographer, founder and Artistic Director of Random Dance, Wayne McGregor, recently commissioned A Winged Victory for the Sullen, whose music he had regularly played at practice following their self-titled debut (TMT Review), to score a long-form dance piece, Atomos. We’ll have to wait until later this year for the full-length version of that score, but in the meantime, the duo of Adam Wiltzie and Dustin O’Halloran have a preparatory EP, Atomos VII, coming out April 29.
The EP features a track from the upcoming Atomos, an “outtake” from their debut LP, and a remix of the title track from Ben Frost, who’s no stranger to scoring himself, if you’ve been following his movements. That’s neither a sports nor a sexual reference, though I could totally believe the latter, given his sumptuous facial hair.
Here are some Winged tour dates, many of which are an accompaniment to the Atomos production. A taste. A track:
Atomos VII tracklisting:
01. Atomos VII
02. Minuet for a Cheap Piano One
03. Atomos VII (Greenhouse Reinterpretation) (w/ Ben Frost)
• A Winged Victory for the Sullen: http://www.awvfts.com
• Kranky: http://www.kranky.net
More about: A Winged Victory for the Sullen
