Megafaun - Gather, Form And Fly [CD]

Megafaun, was created by Joe Westerlund and brothers Brad and Phil Cook from the ashes of DeYarmond Edison (the group they had formed with their long-time friend Justin "Bon Iver" Vernon). On 'Gather, Form & Fly' they've reinvented traditional American folk music, combining acoustic instruments and mountain harmonies with radically alien elements inspired by anything from free jazz to '50s experimental electronics. They're part of that rare crop of young artists driven by an unquenchable thirst for a wide range of sounds and styles. Pick a song at random, and you'll hear delicate Appalachian banjo figures, tumbling Steve Reich pianos, sumptuous multi-part harmonies or bracing, string-scraping dissonance. That everything fits together in the context of a beautiful thirteen-track suite is evidence of the unique mixture of the songcraft and improvisational spirit that Megafaun have grown to command. The band has performed over 250 shows in the US since '07 and has collaborated with new Crammed labelmates Akron/Family, with minimalist composer Arnold Dreyblatt and more. Gather, Form & Fly can be described as an ode to death, love, musical history (from blues to musique concrète), community, tradition, melody and experimentation. Or, more simply, as a magnificent album of melodic folk music, strong and original.