Eastside Radio’s Album of the Week is Outer Song by Gadadu on the Birdwatcher Records label.
Vibrant and expansive, GADADU’s second album Outer Song builds on the sparse, soulful sound of their 2015 debut LP. Lush arrangements and gritty grooves bring to life over three years of songwriting by bandleaders Hannah Selin and Nicki Adams, who co-produced the album with additional input from mixing engineer Rick Warren. The full band recorded live at The Bunker in Brooklyn, with subsequent overdubs recorded in spaces ranging from an attic, to a deconstructed piano, a gymnasium-turned-concert hall and a bedroom closet. GADADU later collaborated with The Rhythm Method to record strings on “The Lion,” “Makeshift Constellations” and “Chided.” Outer Song takes the listener on a kaleidoscopic journey, from gamelan-inspired prepared piano in “The Lion,” to seven-part vocal harmonies in “Exquisite Corpse” and oatmeal box backbeats in “Julia.” Hannah’s vocals move nimbly from the depths of uncertainty to ecstatic moments of joy, carving striking melodies through forests of synthesizers, mellotron and strings.
Artist: Gadadu
Title: Outer Song
1.The Lion
2.Exquisite Corpse
3.Julia
4.Life
5.Makeshift Constellations
6.Chided
7.Train Blues
8.Bay Songs
Musicians
Hannah Selin, vocals/viola
Nicki Adams, vocals/keys
Patrick Adams, trumpet
Arthur Vint, drums/percussion
Daniel Stein, bass
Strings on tracks 1, 5, & 6: The Rhythm Method
Clarinet on tracks 5 & 6: Tony Park
Ensemble on track 8: Sana Nagano and Gabe Valle, violins; Valeriya Sholokhova, cello; Hila Zamir, clarinet
Mixed by Rick Warren
Produced by Nicki Adams. Additional production by Hannah Selin and Rick Warren
Mastered by Tom Waltz
Artwork: “Gemini 11” by Alex La Ferla