Charlemagne Palestine

*90 copies limited edition* The legendary Charlemagne Palestine returns with the second volume of his monumental God Bear Archives series, and what a treasure trove this is. For those who have followed Palestine's singular journey through the outer reaches of sound - from his early days as a carillonneur at St. Thomas Church in New York to his groundbreaking work with sustained piano tones and electronic drones - this collection offers a deep dive into the vaults of one of contemporary music's true originals. Palestine has always existed in a category of one, a shamanic figure surrounded by his beloved stuffed animals and cognac, coaxing sounds from pianos, synthesizers, and his own extraordinary voice that seem to tap into something primal and transcendent. The God Bear Archives II continues the excavation begun with the first volume, unearthing recordings that span decades of relentless experimentation. Here we find Palestine at his most intimate and his most overwhelming, from hushed electronic meditations to the kind of full-throttle piano attacks that made Strumming Music such a landmark.

The influence of Palestine on subsequent generations - from drone metal to contemporary classical, from Jim O'Rourke to Sunn O))) - cannot be overstated, yet his work remains stubbornly, gloriously unclassifiable. This is music that demands surrender, that asks the listener to abandon conventional notions of time and structure and simply float in waves of pure sound. An essential addition to the Palestine discography and a must-have for anyone serious about the history of experimental music.