If there’s anything all us political centrists can agree on, it’s that we all need to find common ground in this tumultuous era. To that end, Minnesotan electronic crew POLIÇA and Berlin-based orchestral collective s t a r g a z e are leading the way with the announcement of their debut collaborative album, Music For the Long Emergency. It’s out February 16 on Totally Gross National Product/Transgressive (so you don’t have to worry about politics getting in the way of your important Valentine’s Day plans!).
Now, I know what you’re thinking: electronic music with orchestral arrangements?! How is THAT ever going to work?! Well, I know it sounds crazy, but stick with me here as I weave a story for the ages:
POLIÇA and s t a r g a z e first hooked up in Berlin in 2016 and began sketching sounds. According to s t a r g a z e conductor André de Ridder, “They were not even song structures, just electronic textures. And we started playing over them, and we could see how their faces lit up when we played. I guess that’s where our minds met.” Since then, the bands’ minds continued melding via “email, mp3 files, video conferencing, and the occasional meet-up” and ultimately produced “the most adventurous and forward-thinking music either group has made to date.” Now, make sure you memorize that epic tale so we can pass it down through a new oral tradition when the apocalypse hits and all paper is burned in nuclear hellfire.
But first, let’s forget all that theory and talk praxis! The first track from the album — the yawning, dissonant “How Is This Happening” — is out now and awaiting your eager consumption in the embed below. I also humbly offer you the album’s tracklisting, along with a handful of 2018 tour dates. And as always, don’t forget to pre-order the new album here. Now stay woke!
Music For the Long Emergency surprisingly short tracklisting:
01. Fake Like
02. Marrow
03. Speaking of Ghost
04. Agree
05. Cursed
06. How Is This Happening
07. Music For the Long Emergency
POLIÇA / s t a r g a z e surprisingly short tour:
02.15.18 - North Adams, MA - MASS MoCA
02.17.18 - New York, NY - Symphony Space at Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
02.18.18 - Portsmouth, NH - 3S Artspace *
02.19.18 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall *
02.21.18 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
02.22.18 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
02.23.18 - Cincinnati, OH - Contemporary Arts Center
02.27.18 - London, UK - Oval Space
* POLIÇA solo, hold the s t a r g a z e
More about: POLIÇA, s t a r g a z e
