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Il Libro dei Tropi

by Zolder Ellipsis

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    in digisleeve case with art by Sam Wiehl

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    shipping out on or around August 15, 2024
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    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Il Libro dei Tropi, Compositions 2007-09, Entropy Override, Solo Piano 2, Elisions, Solo Piano, and Princes. , and , .

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1.
Sketch A 06:14
2.
3.
4.
5.
BIP 03:07
6.
Brunette 07:12
7.
export the trash but not the tools in lieu of support in lieu of encouragement
8.
Undertow 05:15
9.
The Purge 03:27
—not leaving before the danger becomes settled —missing ending cues —the love for someone who does not love me —waiting for things to become different when they are the same —dying before accepting all of this —loneliness and in love which is different from being alone (a summation of the greatest hits) —repeating myself being unable to recognize that I am repeating myself —not being able to protect myself like the time before —that time before structuring whole life
10.
11.

about

On their quixotic second studio effort, Zolder Ellipsis continues to chart an unorthodox course through stylistic borderlands. Showcasing different genres and styles from song to song and within songs, "Il Libro dei Tropi" (Book of Tropes) presents a little compendium of musical devices across the experimental/progressive rock and jazz spectrum, while incorporating other fringe/popular idioms along the way. Much as medieval composers would use “troping” to insert their own voices into the canonical church music, these pieces are both generic and novel. In the words of the American Heritage Dictionary, troping is "the use of a word or expression as changed from the original signification to another”—which is to say that we're putting all these stylistic techniques in a new context that gives them a new... essence? Add to that the idea that a trope is essentially symbolic and imaginative (rather than confined by its outward form), and you get the intention: not just genre experiments, but modern mood pieces navigating an imaginal seascape.

This time out, the musical approach is more compositionally focused, with the band maneuvering through complex rhythmic textures and dense instrumental counterpoints. But there is still a healthy dose of the spontaneous band interaction and improvisational mayhem that distinguished the previous album, "Entropy Override". And in a new direction, "Il Libro dei Tropi" features the group's first collaborations with the remarkable writer Eunsong Kim, whose lyrics are conveyed here by vocalist/performance artist Esther Mugambi.

“Inventive rhythmic and harmonic shifts to keep listeners engaged … complex yet accessible, entertaining yet worthy of deeper listening.” - Exposé Online (Jon Davis) expose.org/index.php/articles/display/zolder-ellipsis-il-libro-dei-tropi-2.html

"a magic album, a fantastic adventure that reminds of the endless worlds that can be reached by reading a well-written fiction novel." - Mangowave mangowave-magazine.com/reviews/zolder-ellipsis-il-libro-dei-tropi/

"different subgenres of jazz are reevaluated with the band’s singular ideas. ... a wonderful jazz rock album brimming with avantgarde spirit" - DisAgreement.net

credits

released June 20, 2024

Sean Moran, guitars
Tom Aldrich, keyboards, piano, organ
Chad Langford, bass, voice (8)
Ivo Bol, synths and samplers
Pierre Aeternus, drums
Esther Mugambi, vocals (7,9)

All music composed and produced by Tom Aldrich (Stave In/ASCAP)
Texts (7,9) by Eunsong Kim
Track 8 contains excerpts from "Descent into the Maelstrom" by Edgar Allan Poe

Recorded 4-6 August, 2023 at Wedgeview Studios, Woerdense Verlaat (NL)
Recorded and mixed by Micha de Kanter
Mastered by Peter Brussee
Art by Sam Wiehl
Released by Lizard Records (cat.#196)
www.lizardrecords.it/zolder-ellipsis-book-of-tropes/

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Tom Aldrich Amsterdam, Netherlands

Tom Aldrich is an American composer and keyboardist. He is the leader of the group Zolder Ellipsis and was a co-founder of the Four Bags. He has worked with artists such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Bang on a Can, Jackie Cain, and songwriting icons Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. His music has been performed in the U.S., Netherlands, Japan, Poland, Scotland, Italy and Serbia. ... more

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