Sidebar: Julie Mullins's Bryce Dessner Picks
St. Carolyn by the Sea/Suite from There Will Be Blood, with Jonny Greenwood and Copenhagen Philharmonic, Andre de Ridder, cond., 2014.
Swirls of electric guitar amid flutes with full orchestral sweep and a sense of stately drama. High-note pizzicatos give way to urgent strings on Lachrimae.
El Chan, with Katia and Marielle Labèque, pianos, 2019.
Intense attacks, rapid-fire runs, and delicate pianissimos. Includes the Concerto for Two Pianos Dessner composed for the two sisters.
Music for Wood & Strings, So Percussion, 2018.
This unusual album features "chordsticks," a hybrid, fretless instrument Dessner conceived combining electric guitar sound with the playing action of hammer dulcimer, the sound of which they resemble.
With The National:
Boxer, 2007.
A recording session filled with tension yielded arguably their most accessible album. Its hooks hold up more than a decade after its release. Some themes feel charmingly all-grown-up-now.
Trouble Will Find Me, 2013.
Some find this one a bit overserious, but it lays the foundation for what's to come.
Sleep Well Beast, 2017.
Surprising math-rock and experimental influences emerge on this Grammy Award winner for Best Alternative Album. Loops, synths, and pedal effects galore—even some guitar solos.
I Am Easy to Find, 2019.
Gentler, with Dessner's lucid orchestrations and several female guest vocalists including Gail Ann Dorsey, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
ON 37d03d:
People Mixtape 01 (Various Artists), 2018.
This limited-release album shows off the 37d03d collective's diversity of influences and styles. Much of it sounds good, too.
St. Carolyn by the Sea/Suite from There Will Be Blood, with Jonny Greenwood and Copenhagen Philharmonic, Andre de Ridder, cond., 2014.Swirls of electric guitar amid flutes with full orchestral sweep and a sense of stately drama. High-note pizzicatos give way to urgent strings on Lachrimae.
El Chan, with Katia and Marielle Labèque, pianos, 2019.Intense attacks, rapid-fire runs, and delicate pianissimos. Includes the Concerto for Two Pianos Dessner composed for the two sisters.
Music for Wood & Strings, So Percussion, 2018.This unusual album features "chordsticks," a hybrid, fretless instrument Dessner conceived combining electric guitar sound with the playing action of hammer dulcimer, the sound of which they resemble.
Boxer, 2007.A recording session filled with tension yielded arguably their most accessible album. Its hooks hold up more than a decade after its release. Some themes feel charmingly all-grown-up-now.
Trouble Will Find Me, 2013.Some find this one a bit overserious, but it lays the foundation for what's to come.
Sleep Well Beast, 2017.Surprising math-rock and experimental influences emerge on this Grammy Award winner for Best Alternative Album. Loops, synths, and pedal effects galore—even some guitar solos.
I Am Easy to Find, 2019.Gentler, with Dessner's lucid orchestrations and several female guest vocalists including Gail Ann Dorsey, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
ON 37d03d:
People Mixtape 01 (Various Artists), 2018.This limited-release album shows off the 37d03d collective's diversity of influences and styles. Much of it sounds good, too.
