The last we saw Aa (Big A little a), they were about to take an undocumented hiatus. Despite consistently working on new material, member departures and careers have kept production and performances limited. Which is one reason why a new single from the Brooklyn diy veterans–their first in over two years–is that much more special.
Original recordings saw Aa utilize every percussive instrument they could get their hands on, though references to “tribal” or anything minimalist played like fingernails on a chalkboard to the progressive outfit. This led to constant tweaks, additional instruments and a lot of vocoder and lately, a novel use of autotune. Maybe this is the realization of their love affair with Phil Collins and Lil' Wayne. Yet while it has all played out brilliantly in the live incarnation–even with the loss of founding member Nadav Havusha–recorded material has been slow to reach our ears. Best bets on why would be placed on the meticulous nature with which remaining members John Atkinson, Aron Wahl and Josh Bonati wield their craft.
Whatever the case, “Glow Wreath” has been worth the wait. Layers built upon layers drive this near eight-minute polyrhythmic jam, with the most emphasis on electronic elements, rather than percussive, that we've heard in recordings from the group. It actually plays like an epic Dan Deacon and Peter Gabriel collaboration. Just in time for their short four-day Eastern European tour, “Glow Wreath” is the A-side to the European tour-only Glossy 12″ that is being co-released by Deleted Art in Sweden and Altin Village & Mine in Berlin (the B-side is a track called “Mossy”, Glow+Mossy=Glossy). Check out the lead single below and if you're in one of these cities this weekend, do yourself the favor and go see Aa in person to buy this amazing piece of wax.
12.10 – Vienna, Austria (Fluc)
12.11 – Prague, Czech Republic (Klub 007)
12.12 – Berlin, Germany
