by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Chicago's Crown Larks are always pushing the envelope into new psychedelic territory. Their sound is as experimental and atmospheric as it is beautiful and visionary. Harsh moments are balanced with serene bliss, contorting and evolving through unpredictable polyrhythms and expressive layering. Crown Larks have the majesty and grace of a band like Radiohead, the free-from sprawl of Oneida and the depth of Broadcast... but the quartet most certainly have more than a few tricks of their own. It's been two years since the release of Blood Dancer, and that band have been on the road ever since... getting tighter, getting weirder. On May 5th the band will release their sophomore album Population, a record that rewards patience with unflinching creativity.
"Lithops Life" floats along the murky depths with a truly epic doubled rhythm (complete with tabla) and a sense for calm misdirection. Crown Larks are more than capable of creating a visual experience through sound by themselves but sometimes a little help from your friends goes a long way. "Lithops Life" finds the band - Lorraine Bailey, Jack Bouboushian, Bill Miller, and Matt Puhr - joined by Peter Gillette and Patrick Sundlof for auxiliary trumpet and tabla, respectively. Tangled in guitars that simultaneously push and pull, it's the drumming of Miller and Sundlof that creates a backdrop of shifting time and densely knotted rhythms, locked in together with a meditative sonic complexity. "Lithops Life" is that path less travelled... a reminder that anything is possible without self-imposed limits.
Crown Larks' Population is out May 5th via Already Dead Tapes and Satellite Records. The band will be on tour in support of the record. Full dates can be found below.
4/28 - Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s w/ Banging Fragiles, Sails & Rural Carrier
4/29 - Louisville, KY @ Kaiju w/ Doctor Girlfriend & Insect Policy
4/30 - Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR w/ Future Science Sketch Comedy
5/01 - Lexington, KY
5/02 - Columbus, OH @ Rumba w/ Fizzed & SHVS
5/03 - Indianapolis, IN @ State Street Pub
5/04 - Indiana
5/05 - St. Louis, MO @ Foam
5/06 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *RECORD RELEASE* w/ ONO, Blackerface, & Grun Wasser
5/07 - Kalamazoo, MI @ Headquarters
5/08 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Palanzo’s w/ It It & Radon Chong
5/09 - Annandale-on-Hudson, NY @ SMOG (Bard College)
5/10 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Glove w/ Parlor Walls
5/12 - Baltimore, MD @ Windup Space w/ Soul Cannon, Chris Pumphrey, & Pocket Bells
5/13 - Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong w/ Time Is Fire
5/14 - Richmond, VA @ Gallery 5
5/15 - Norfolk, VA @ Charlie’s American Cafe
5/16 - Raleigh, NC @ Neptune’s
5/17 - Winston-Salem, NC @ The Garage w/ Knives of Spain & Dark Prophet Tongueless Monk
5/18 - Boone, NC @ Boone Saloon
5/19 - Atlanta, GA @ 529 w/ Little Rituals, Newark Wilder, Wieuca, & Sad Fish
5/20 - Athens, GA @ Go Bar w/ Electric Nature & */_
5/21 - Macon, GA @ Fresh Produce
5/22 - Birmingham, AL
5/23 - New Orleans, LA @ Siberia w/ Proud/Father, Jack & the Jackrabbits, and Bipolaroid
5/24 - Houston, TX @ Walter’s Downtown
5/25 - San Antonio, TX @ Limelight
5/26 - Austin, TX @ Sidewinder w/ Gossamer Frontier
5/27 - San Antonio, TX @ Imagine Books
5/28 - El Paso, TX
5/30 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress w/ Gamma Like Very Ultra
5/31 - Phoenix, AZ @ Yucca Tap w/ Echo Bombs and Jade Helm
6/01 - Los Angeles, CA
6/02 - Los Angeles, CA
6/03 - Oakland, CA @ The Night Light w/ Spencer Owen Timeshare
6/04 - San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern
6/05 - Arcata, CA @ Richard’s Goat Tavern
6/06 - Eugene, OR @ Black Forest w/ Thom Simon
6/07 - Salem, OR @ The Space
6/08 - Portland, OR @ The Know
6/09 - Vancouver, BC @ Red Gate w/ Colin Cowan and Jo Passed
6/10 - Seattle, WA @ Lucky Liquors (5:30 PM)
6/10 - Seattle, WA @ Victory Lounge (8:30 PM)
6/11 - Seattle, WA @ Racer Sessions
6/14 - Boise, ID @ The Olympic w/ Tag Along Friend, Montoneros & Sick Wish (ex-Built to Spill)
6/15 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Diabolical Records
6/16 - Denver, CO @ Lion’s Lair
6/17 - Colorado Springs, CO @ Cloud Factory
6/18 - Omaha, NE
6/19 - Iowa City, IA @ Gabe’s w/ Dana T