Browse by Artist: HIGH PLACES

Artist:	HIGH PLACES
Title:	Can't Feel Born
Label:	THRILL JOCKEY
Format:	12"
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	THR 012.43EP

"The I Was Born single demonstrated Rob Barber and Mary Pearson using a new guitar-centric instrumentation that would be featured on High Places vs. Mankind. A faster pace and darker tone also seem to permeate through the singles and this new 12" collects these tracks as well as their unheard counterparts. As on the album, Mary Pearson's vocal are less effected and more present, but many aspects of the High Places sound and aesthetic remain intact. One hears dance rhythms, stereo effects, accessible melodies, dub influence, and as always, a love of layering and of combining the unexpected into something cohesive and new." On white vinyl.

Artist:	HIGH PLACES
Title:	03/07-09/07
Label:	THRILL JOCKEY
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	THR 204CD

"High Places began as an experiment in collaboration: two people with diverse artistic backgrounds coming together to merge their skills, aesthetic tastes, and music-making approaches. Robert Barber grew up listening to punk and hardcore, and Mary Pearson studied bassoon performance. Both gravitated toward a DIY compositional style and shared a love of layers. It is the affinity for layering that has thus far defined the duo, both in ideas and instrumentation. High Places songs contain a fascinating range of aural layers: bells and bird calls over a wash of ocean waves; mallets hitting mixing bowls over treated guitar and glockenspiel; Mary's reflective vocals over Rob's inventive and infectious beats. The result is an imaginative and spacious amalgamation of sounds with a unique almost Caribbean undertone that is as immediate as it is refreshing."

Artist:	HIGH PLACES
Title:	High Places
Label:	THRILL JOCKEY
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	THR 207CD

"Since its inception, High Places has created a signature sound out of using bass-heavy, yet crisp beats, lilting vocal melodies, syncopated rhythmic lines performed on folk percussion instruments, guitar duets turned into treated samples, and percussive lines created from the manipulation of household objects. The songwriting is expansive and fluid, all the while managing to be concise. Overall, the compositions are settled and assured. High Places gravitates toward the organic over the electronic, and that natural aesthetic adds warmth and intimacy to the recordings."

Artist:	HIGH PLACES
Title:	High Places Vs. Mankind
Label:	THRILL JOCKEY
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	THR 238CD

"High Places began as an experiment in collaboration, based on a DIY compositional style and a love of layers. The title of High Places vs. Mankind accurately suggests the album will take a slightly altered course from the 'goodness as growth reflected in nature' motif of the band's debut. A digital single released on Halloween entitled 'I Was Born' demonstrated Rob and Mary using more standard instrumentation including guitars sounding like guitars, and the bassoon upon which Mary was classically trained. Her vocals are less effected and more present, but many aspects of the High Places sound and aesthetic remain intact. One hears dance rhythms, stereo effects, accessible melodies, dub influence, and as always, a love of layering and of combining the unexpected into something cohesive and new."

Artist:	HIGH PLACES
Title:	Original Colors
Label:	THRILL JOCKEY
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	THR 286CD

"The album is dotted with sun-drenched references to Australia's inimitable foliage, the expansive desert of Northern Mexico, and the crystal, blue waters of the Indian Ocean. Such allusions are presented over a bed of swirling stereo rhythms and infectious melodies that are the band's signature. Each track possesses a specific texture and emotion that serve to create a variegated yet unified album that is held together by the binding force of Mary's mezzo-soprano vocals. The air of naivete has been peeled away since the first album, and her voice is pushed to the fore; liberated from the dense sonic waves of previous work, and blossoming into a truly melodic instrument."

Artist:	HIGH PLACES
Title:	Vision's The First.../Namer
Label:	UPSET THE RHYTHM (UK)
Format:	7"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	UTR 018EP

"High Places are two in number. Mary Pearson and Rob Barber, both Brooklyn dwellers, create a unique and joyous union of world beat, dance music and underground pop. Standing atop the summit of a towering mountain certainly provides a great perspective but it's the overpowering feeling of awesome majesty that is key to understanding the band. That sense of grandeur and wonder is almost impossible to tether in words yet their music seems dizzy under its influence. 'Vision's the First...' is an expansive and playful track showing High Places develop their songs into a more complete work where tribal gamelan-clang rhythms punctuate the breezy data shimmer of their chiming ambience and echoing forest sound. The song unfolds in a reflective manner much like Mary's hyper melodic lyric on creativity and sharing secrets. 'Namer' is a track about leaving home, finding comfort through familiarity and identity. Mary's vocal is hushed but clear as it ventures through the dance of bubbling and vibrant nature sounds, leaving the freaky panning drums to swell and pulse like the sea on a full moon." White-colored vinyl.

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