Lost Tribe Sound is proud to share “In Denial,” the newest offering from William Ryan Fritch‘s upcoming full-length Revisionist, out February 10, 2015. The track premiered via Consequence of Sound, who noted that “[Fritch’s] vocals swoon over drifting layers of strings, that evocative croon almost embedding itself into the song’s makeup. It’s a conceptually overwhelming experience, but Fritch’s gentle vocals feel warm and reassuring.” Revisionist is available for pre-order HERE, and “In Denial ” is available to stream or embed HERE.
Fritch is a composer, but he isn’t comfortable with that term. He has little in common with most contemporary composers. Most ambient, minimalist, and modern classical music leaves him wanting, and he’s clueless when it comes to that electro-acoustic shtick, though he is often grouped into that category. Until a few years ago, he couldn’t read a lick of music. He still has nightmares about having to sight-read a piece of music in front of an audience, pants or no pants.
As such, if you sat Fritch in a room with just a pen and music staff paper, he may not be able to create anything worth a damn, but if you gave him a room of trash and a tape recorder, he could make it all sing together. Much of his style and sound stems from avoiding having to learn how to notate for and integrate others into his music, either because he was too broke or too dense to do so.
With little to compare, it’s difficult to put Fritch’s aesthetic into a box. He employs no virtual instruments, plugins, or libraries, just a bunch of raggedy, second-hand instruments he constantly recontextualizes in his studio, the compositional content of every piece flowing from the originating sound itself. The pieces don’t exist separate from the arrangements; they are the arrangements.
The Fritch narrative only becomes more complex from there. Pushing his own boundaries, his music has evolved to include many collaborators as well as the inclusion of his own voice among the beautiful trash at his disposal. Those of us who know Fritch from his explosive, emotive instrumental music will be startled by his fragile, supple voice, which glides and undulates over the compositions with quiet confidence, adding another compelling dimension to his ornate sound world.
Following his work with Sole and the Skyrider Band, as well as his recent collaboration with Volcano Choir drummer Jon Mueller under the name of Death Blues, Fritch called on the likes of Benoit Pioulard, D.M. Stith, Origamibiro and Esme Patterson to help realise his latest album, Revisionist. These inspired partnerships take Fritch’s instrumentation and craft to new destinations, employing new techniques while furthering its immediacy and appeal.
It remains to be seen how Revisionist will be received now, or remembered decades from now. What is certain is that Revisionist will still be relevant. It’s an album that will grow and change with you, music for the ecstatic moments of transition and quiet catharsis. However one desires to classify Fritch’s style, his skill as a shaper of sound speaks for itself. It’s craftsmanship built to last.
Revisionist tracklist:
1. In Denial
2. Revisionist
3.Winds (feat. Benoit Pioulard)
4. Heavy
5. Unholy Frames (feat. Origamibiro)
6. Imposters
7. Infant Sight
8. Gloaming Light (feat. D.M. Stith)
9. Thankless Deeds
10. Still (feat. Esme Patterson)
