Browse by Artist: MUELLER, JON

Artist:	MUELLER, JON
Title:	Strung
Label:	TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	TOE 094LP

"Peripatetic composer, performer, improviser, and designer Jon Mueller is a busy guy, and both the rock and experimental music scenes are the richer for it. As a drummer, he propels the ecstatic whorl of Collections of Colonies of Bees and the occasional guitar army of Rhys Chatham; alternately his solo project, Metals, is the most harrowingly intense percussive barrage you'll ever encounter. He also finds time to collaborate with artists ranging from Wilco's Glenn Kotche to Swans' Jarboe. Whether it's minimalist bombast, free-improv interplay, or electro-acoustic finesse, Mueller's got it covered. But what can he do with a guitar? In Strung, Mueller doesn't play the guitar; he scrambles its molecules. Laying down a photon-blast of sound, he initiates a relentless, rapid-pulse attack signal that summons wave upon wave of white noise. Think inexorable alien invasion -- The Day The Earth Stood Still, with Lou Reed as Klaatu and Metal Machine Music as the message. Earth doesn't stand a chance." Pressed on clear vinyl with great Savage Pencil etching on the b-side.

Artist:	MUELLER, JON
Title:	Metals
Label:	TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	TOE 108CD

"Percussionist Jon Mueller works with rhythms that come from gong frequencies, from vibrations of the bodies of bass drums, and the surprising sonorities that occur with the combination of these elements. Now he applies these techniques to his latest solo effort, to stunning effect: Metals is, as its name suggests, a bold, all-percussion foray into heavy metal. No theatrical silliness here; just sheer exhilaration; the fundamental power of loud, organized, precise rhythms; ringing, heavy anti-melodies. It's this sound, in the many forms it has taken over the years that continually inspires new philosophies, drives independent thinking, and causes hundreds of thousands of people to bang their heads. Jon Mueller takes it, shapes it and makes it his own."

Artist:	MUELLER, JON
Title:	Physical Changes
Label:	TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS
Format:	LP/CD/DVD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	TOE 817LP

"Enter Jon Mueller's mammoth new solo percussion work, Physical Changes. If his previous solo effort Metals was about pummeling rhythms and frequencies, Physical Changes drives the whole idea into oblivion, as the sounds here are something to be felt as much as heard. Joined by the intense propulsion of James Plotkin (Khanate, Khlyst, Phantomsmasher), the textural chaos of Fred Lonberg-Holm (Wilco, Peter Brotzmann Tentet, Ken Vandermark's Territory Band), the computer meltdown of Marcus Schmickler (Pluramon), the surreal precision of Dan Burke (Illusion of Safety), the glorious flight of Jim Schoenecker (Collections of Colonies of Bees) and the stunning landscape film work of David Dinnell, Physical Changes takes the idea of 'heavy rhythm' and spreads it out over an elaborate, all-inclusive three format (LP/CD/DVD) release that reveals how complex and diverse heavy rhythm can actually be. From the pounding, raw country minimalism of 'Nothing Changes,' to the brutally intense onslaught of 'Things Will Not Stay the Way They Are,' Mueller takes the fundamental concepts of rhythm and percussion, those primal devices, and turns them into an entirely new experience that's heard, seen, and felt. Come experience it for yourself."

Artist:	MUELLER, JON
Title:	The Whole
Label:	TYPE (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	TYPE 074CD

The Whole might be avant-percussionist Jon Mueller's first album for the Type imprint, but it's far from his scene debut. Working in a plethora of bands for many years (including Collections Of Colonies Of Bees and Volcano Choir with Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver), Mueller has honed his sound to a distinct peak, and over the course of umpteen solo albums and collaborations has cemented his status as one of experimental music's most revered drummers. Following his epic works Metals (a collection of classic heavy metal rhythms) and the expansive and surprisingly beautiful Physical Changes, both for the esteemed Table Of The Elements label, Mueller embarked on the heady process of creating a "defining" work. Intrigued by ideas of simplicity and acoustic sound, Mueller's research drew him to Shaker crafts and quilt-making, both deceptively simple practices rooted in the transmission of ideas. Over time, these experiences were interpreted in many different ways, almost certainly inaccurately, and this miscommunicated simplicity is at the very center of The Whole. Through a rolling, unamplified snare drum (a piece of kit perfected over a year of intense practice), booming low toms, hammered dulcimer and his own voice, Mueller creates a sound that is wholly original and totally beguiling. There are traces of folk traditions and lines drawn to the avant garde idiom, but Mueller's sound is so singularly perfected, it is hard to connect him to specific peers. The Whole is an album that sounds like both a relic of the past and an echo of the future. The ideas are anchored in memory and tradition, yet the sound is alien and sometimes impenetrable. Over time, as the messages are stripped back, an unabashedly gorgeous piece of work is revealed. Like a good book, it requires patience and contemplation to show its beating heart.

Artist:	MUELLER, JON
Title:	The Whole
Label:	TYPE (UK)
Format:	LP+CD
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	TYPE 074LP

LP version. Includes an exclusive bonus CD of 30-minute album, The Whole -- mixed by Olivia Block. The Whole might be avant-percussionist Jon Mueller's first album for the Type imprint, but it's far from his scene debut. Working in a plethora of bands for many years (including Collections Of Colonies Of Bees and Volcano Choir with Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver), Mueller has honed his sound to a distinct peak, and over the course of umpteen solo albums and collaborations has cemented his status as one of experimental music's most revered drummers. Following his epic works Metals (a collection of classic heavy metal rhythms) and the expansive and surprisingly beautiful Physical Changes, both for the esteemed Table Of The Elements label, Mueller embarked on the heady process of creating a "defining" work. Intrigued by ideas of simplicity and acoustic sound, Mueller's research drew him to Shaker crafts and quilt-making, both deceptively simple practices rooted in the transmission of ideas. Over time, these experiences were interpreted in many different ways, almost certainly inaccurately, and this miscommunicated simplicity is at the very center of The Whole. Through a rolling, unamplified snare drum (a piece of kit perfected over a year of intense practice), booming low toms, hammered dulcimer and his own voice, Mueller creates a sound that is wholly original and totally beguiling. There are traces of folk traditions and lines drawn to the avant garde idiom, but Mueller's sound is so singularly perfected, it is hard to connect him to specific peers. The Whole is an album that sounds like both a relic of the past and an echo of the future. The ideas are anchored in memory and tradition, yet the sound is alien and sometimes impenetrable. Over time, as the messages are stripped back, an unabashedly gorgeous piece of work is revealed. Like a good book, it requires patience and contemplation to show its beating heart.

Artist:	MUELLER, JON
Title:	Alphabet Of Movements
Label:	TYPE (UK)
Format:	LP
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	TYPE 092LP

With the music of Milwaukee-native Jon Mueller, patience is the key. His radical snare workouts are meditative master-classes in drumming, but require a distinct offering of time and attention to truly enjoy the dense clouds of sound his music creates. After crafting 2010's critically-acclaimed The Whole, Mueller decided to put together a live set that, while not reflecting the over-dubbed nature of the album itself, reflected the philosophy held within. The result was "I Almost Expect To Be Remembered As A Chair," and Mueller proceeded to perform this piece at various venues across the USA. Utilizing a unique snare drum set-up, which finds the drums mounted on small amplifiers, Mueller's enviable focus is put center-stage and his resolve transferred absolutely into this dense, moving 20-minute piece. Here, the composition has been recorded to tape with a tireless attention to detail by Greg Norman at Steve Albini's legendary Electrical Audio studio. The haunting, resonant drones spring to life with a surprising clarity, and the silo's natural reverb gives the percussion a deeply human quality. On the first piece, Mueller sticks to his chosen snare, slowly ramping the buzzing rhythm into near-cacophony. By the time the piece is fully formed, you barely notice the change you have witnessed, but are surrounded by a cloud of thick, resonant, cavernous drones. The second rendition moves the composition to gongs and sees the dense resonance enhanced by the instruments' singular plethora of harmonics. It is hard these days to emerge with music that could honestly be described as original, but Alphabet Of Movements is a truly singular piece of work. The focus that Mueller injects into his composition is unmatched, and his interpretation of drone and noise is absolutely on its own. Listen, absorb, and let the sounds permeate; you'll be coming back for more in no time at all. Cut at Berlin's Dubplates and Mastering.

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