Okay, so The A.V. Club has not always expressed its love for the saxophone. Some among us, though, harbor an affinity for that instrument—and it doesn’t get any more sax-positive than Battle Trance’s upcoming album, Palace Of Wind. An ensemble comprising four saxophonists (including leader Travis Laplante, who also plays in the jazz group Little Women, as well as Laplante/Dunn/Smith, a trio with Trevor Dunn of Mr. Bungle), Battle Trance coaxes a whole spectrum of hypnotic ethereality and brassy skronk out of its horns. Palace Of Wind is made up of three layered, circular segments; the first part of that triptych is being debuted here in a 14-minute voyage of glorious texture, melody, and mood. Saxophones of the world, please accept our olive branch in good faith. We never meant to hurt you.
Palace Of Wind will be released August 26 via New Amsterdam/NNA Tapes.