Last year, Their Bated Breath listed Elfin Saddle’s Asian-tinged, beautifully hyperkinetic song “Running Sheep” (click song name to see watch must-see video) as one of the best tracks of 2009. Emi Honda, Jordan McKenzie and Nathan Gage are back with a new multi-media offering, “Wurld” — a package which includes a 23-minute film on DVD, set to music, of stop-motion video documenting the evolution of sculptural elements in the backyard of their Montreal apartment. It includes 30 minutes of new music: “Wurld Soundtrack”, “A River of Horses” and “A Tree In Dark Water/A Sinking Celebration.” There’s also a full 46-minute concert and outtakes. Listen to “A Tree In Dark Water / A Sinking Celebration” below. The song begins with stuttering piano and a plucked string instrument with elegant pacing. Honda’s vocals float over the top like wind over an open prairie, before colliding with dissonant strings. That half of the song fades into feedback screeches and resonance, before picking up a variation of the original tightrope-walking banjo intro that bleeds into waltzing accordion and chimes. It’s sad, vaudevillian, and brilliant in its mysterious dance of dark elements. Note: You can order Elfin Saddle’s DVD/record as one of two packages. Each includes all of the above items, but one adds an additional 10-inch. Place orders here through Constellation Records. — David D. Robbins Jr.
SONG: Elfin Saddle “A Tree In Dark Water / A Sinking Celebration”
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