yMusic Ensemble releases album with tunes by Annie Clark, Son Lux, My Brightest Diamond.

What happens when you give a couple of alt/indie artists’ access to a powerhouse chamber group to indulge their classical music fantasies? Apparently… quite a bit. Usually found as the strings and winds backing many of Brooklyn’s indie acts (Vampire Weekend, My Brightest Diamond, The National), this time around yMusic comes up to the front of the mix with the sextet’s debut album "Beautiful Mechanical" out September 27th on New Amsterdam Records. There’s a tunefulness here that I feel could only be designed by many of the pop-minded composers featured on Beautiful: Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), Son Lux and Annie Clark (St. Vincent) each contribute tunes, among others. Many of this record’s seven tracks sound like inspired throwbacks to some of my favorite early modern composers. At times I hear Stravinsky, especially in Son Lux’s contribution and album opener; the percussive, beat-driven ‘Beautiful Mechanical.’ Other songs get as thorny as Webern. ‘Daughter of the Waves’ comes to mind; penned by local composer Sarah Kirkland Snider. In particular, I was most surprised to hear so much guitar playing throughout. There’s some moments in tracks like album closer ‘Song’ that make me think I’m about to hear ‘Sour Times,’ before things dissolve again into whole tone stretches of Debussy-like wandering. No matter your familiarity with classical music, this is some absorbing stuff. "Beautiful" marks a moment when the line between the indie/alt and classical worlds is rapidly dissolving, and these are the artists building its bridge. See them debut the record live on Friday, October 14 with Shara Worden. Details to come… – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)