Species

by Bing & Ruth

Overview

With each successive release, Brooklyn post-minimalist ensemble Bing & Ruth have both refined their approach and reduced their line-up. 2010's City Lake was a sprawling, dramatic neo-classical/post-rock work played by nearly a dozen musicians (including two vocalists), and subsequent full-lengths Tomorrow Was the Golden Age and No Home of the Mind were fluid, focused efforts which endeared the group to ambient music listeners. On 2020's Species, composer and leader David Moore switches from piano, his usual instrument, to Farfisa organ, recalling the hypnotic keyboard compositions of minimalist icons like Philip Glass and Terry Riley. Double bassist Jeff Ratner and clarinettist Jeremy Viner subtly underscore Moore's wavering, cascading organ pulsations, helping to flesh out an instrument beyond its apparent limitations -- Moore has even admitted that he considered the Farfisa to be one-dimensional. Like other Bing & Ruth albums, Species was thoroughly conceived before the musicians began recording it, yet it has such a river-like flow that it can seem as if it spontaneously poured out of Moore and his cohorts. This is intentional, as the meditative compositions are meant to evoke a trance state. "Badwater Psalm" creates a calm, pleasant atmosphere, perfect for leaving worries behind and just embracing the moment, and "I Had No Dream" elevates this feeling higher. Moore switches to an Elka Panther (a combo organ similar to a Farfisa) for "Live Forever," a 13-minute exercise designed for casting off earthly concerns and losing one's self inside. "The Pressure of This Water" stays afloat for ten minutes, but as weightless as it sounds, it's a balancing act that requires much discipline, like all of Bing & Ruth's work. ~ Paul Simpson

Product Details

Release Date:	07/17/2020
Label:	4Ad
UPC:	0191400018723

Tracks

1. Body in a Room
2. Badwater Psalm
3. I Had No Dream
4. Blood Harmony
5. Live Forever
6. The Pressure of This Water
7. Nearer

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bing & Ruth   Primary Artist
Jeremy Viner   Clarinet
David Moore   Organ
Jeff Ratner   Bass

Technical Credits

Jeremy Viner   Group Member
Ben Greenberg   Producer,Engineer
David Moore   Group Member,Producer,Composer
Boyd Norton   Cover Photo
Zac Hernandez   Assistant
John Schaefer   Liner Notes
Heba Kadry   Mastering
Jeff Ratner   Group Member
Brian Bender   Mixing