yMusic have announced plans to release their sophomore effort, Balance Problems, via New Amsterdam Records--featuring compositions by Classicalite faves Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly and Timo Andres, as well as well as works by NOW Ensemble guitarist Mark Dancigers, Chicago timbralist Marcos Balter, Andrew Norman and Jeremy Turner--on September 30.
Produced by Son Lux, the follow-up to 2011's Beautiful Mechanical promises to, yet again, straddle that finest of lines between classical chamber music and the classic pop hook. (In fact, check out what string trio Time for Three had to say about Rob Moose, yMusic's de facto leader, on that very subject over at our Clite A.V. Club.)
Joined by Nadia Sirota, Alex Sopp, C.J. Camerieri, Clarice Jensen and Hideaki Aomori and Nadia Sirota, consider Moose & Co. at the vanguard of today's "indie classical" scene...whatever that still means nowadays.
Below is the running order for Balance Problems, followed by when you can catch yMusic live and in-person with that one guy from Arcade Fire.
Tracklist:
1. Balance Problems [Nico Muhly]
2. Bladed Stance [Marcos Balter]
3. Music in Circles (Part 1) [Andrew Norman]
4. Music in Circles (Part 2) [Andrew Norman]
5. The Bear & The Squirrel [Jeremy Turner]
6. Safe Travels [Timo Andres]
7. Everness [Mark Dancigers]
8. Salvator Mundi [Sufjan Stevens]
Tour:
7/31 - Lincoln Center - New York, NY ^
9/12 - Basilica Soundscape Festival - Hudson, NY $
9/30 - The Sinclair - Cambridge, MA %
10/1 - (Le) Poisson Rouge - New York, NY %
10/6 - The Hamilton - Washington, DC %
10/8 - Rough Trade - Brooklyn, NY %
10/9 - World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, PA %
^ - w/ José González
$ - w/ Richard Reed Parry
% - w/ Blake Mills
And you gotta check out the trailer, too. Color us impressed, indeed.
