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Stacked melodies, distorted organs, stretched chords,
reimagined vocals: Collections of Colonies of Bees/
Volcano Choir multi-instrumentalist Thomas Wincek
drops his Emotional Joystick handle for the glorious
themes of All Tiny Creatures. During the 17-minute
titular piano triumph of “Segni†and through the luminous haze of “Street Lights Ten Thousand Feet,†ATC’s
debut EP builds four ideas into four engrossing instrumentals. This limited-edition colored vinyl release is
a prelude to ATC’s debut LP—which will feature vocalists
Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Megafaun, and Ryan Olcott
(12 Rods, Mystery Palace)—due in early 2010.
The four pieces that comprise Segni unequivocally reflect two
ideas: First, there’s an understanding of and appreciation for
theory, whether that means simple chords and the complex
changes between them, or computer programs and the various
microphones that provide their sonic sustenance. That’s here.
But, it’s the second idea—the one that says complex structures
and rules must not prohibit the composer from bending a piece
toward the ear of the listener—that wordlessly explains the
magic of All Tiny Creatures. These songs sweep you up in their
motion, drawing more attention to how they sound and the way
they make you feel than the how and why of their construction.
“Minor†might be a four-minute exploration of plopping a
C-minor above interlocked C and E-flat chords, their respective
thirds removed. But above an escalating drone and building
drums, it feels more like Philip Glass in 1972, shooting steroids
to score an action short. The idea is heavy, but the listening is
just glorious.
Wincek engineered these tracks at University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire, in his Madison home, and in the studio of Ben Derickson,
the drummer on Segni and in the full-band version of All Tiny
Creatures. That quartet features guitarist Andrew Fitzpatrick
and bassist Matthew Skemp and made its national debut at the
Hometapes events of South by Southwest this past March.
"All Tiny Creatures' instrumentals blur the line between what a live band can do and what an electronics-obsessed experimenter can create alone at home." -Decider Madison
"...exacting, neat and beautifully angular." -77 Square
"...takes minimalism to the maximum..." -Isthmus
"The band is on to something good." -Shepherd Express
