Spires That In The Sunset Rise

Beasts in the Garden is the seventh full length record by Midwest visionaries Spires That In The Sunset Rise. Since 2010, STITSR have operated primarily as a duo consisting of long time members Kathleen Baird and Taralie Peterson. After releasing two lush, string based albums Ancient Patience Wills It Again Part 1 and 2 in 2012 and 2013, STITSR have returned with a definitively new direction inspired greatly by two years of exploring improvisation with members of the free jazz community in Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison. Inspired to dig out their old high school instruments buried deep in the closet, Beasts in the Garden consists primarily of Taralie Peterson on alto saxophone and Kathleen Baird on flute. And in usual fashion, these two prove their musical versatility and innovation by not only embracing these two new instruments but completely owning them. Using pedals to loop, layer, pitch bend and reverse, STITSR continue to create dense lush soundscapes that verge decidedly more towards the ecstatic as opposed to their signature darker, moodier reputation. And not to be overshadowed by the new instrumentation, the Spires remain an absolute formidable force vocally with both Baird and Peterson continuing to evolve and expand the limits. Baird in particular pushes it to the next level on this record with her wildly operatic vocals on the fiery track Schluss and the discordant and terrifying White On White. While newer influences are detectable here (the repetitions of Terry Riley, the harmonizing of Jon Hassell, the wild wanks of Albert Ayler, and the flute pulses of Florian Schneider), this record continues STITSR's fine tradition since 2001 of building "songs" in the most unorthodox of ways. Still Beasts in the Garden stands out as a very decided shift towards some kind of slanted light for these two wildly experimental girls.