“Museum Day” - s / s / s

We haven’t joined the s / s / s chorus yet (though we did cover Sufjan’s Record Store Day split 7” with Rosie Thomas), but now that Sufjan Stevens/Son Lux/Serengeti collaborative’s EP Beak & Claw is streaming [link] and up for purchase purchase [link], I have another chance at a well-timed blurb. 

While this peculiar assemblage of artist is already remarkable after only listing the names involved, listening adds another layer of intrigue. The press release’s comparison to “the cracked futurisms of Shabazz Palaces” aren’t totally off-base, though this has a much brighter, above-ground atmosphere, unsurprisingly. The meandering path of “Museum Day,” stutter-stepping along with it’s odd blips and sounds, is a rather challenging opener with its steadfast dedication to odd sounds and being off-kilter. It’s actually the most challenging of the four tracks; though it does have a traditional chorus/verse structure and the choir-and-percussion-heavy ending do bring a warped bit of cohesion, the other three tracks are initially easier to follow. It’s fun to study the ins and outs of Beak & Claw. It might even be one of my favorite EPs of the year (though nothing has arisen as a serious threat to Kindred yet).

- Tyler Hanan