''Automaginary'' is a 2015 collaborative album by the

Natural Information Society Natural Information Society is a music ensemble described as “ecstatic minimalism”. The group formed in 2010 and is led by multi-instrumentalist and composer Joshua Abrams. NPR called the group a "staple" of the underground music scene in Chi ...

and

Bitchin Bajas Bitchin' Bajas is a band operated as a side-project by Cooper Crain, who is also guitarist/organist of the band Cave. The other members are Dan Quinlivan and Rob Frye. Their first album, ''Tones & Zones'', was released in 2010. They have recor ...

Background

The album was released in 2015 on vinyl and cassette by Drag City. Natural Information Society, a largely acoustic ensemble, is led by double bassist and guimbri player Joshua Abrams, and features guitarist Emmett Kelly, autoharpist and keyboardist Ben Boye, harmonium player

Lisa Alvarado Lisa Alvarado (born 1982) is an American visual artist and harmonium player.Beckwith, Naomi and Roelstraete, Dieter (2015)"The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now" p. 40. Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and University ...

, and drummer

Frank Rosaly Frank Rosaly (born May 30, 1974) is a Puerto Rican American drummer, composer, and sound designer associated with a transparent compositional approach to drumming across various styles of music including jazz, improvisation, rock and experimenta ...

. Bitchin Bajas, using electronic instruments, is led by keyboardist Cooper Crain, and features bass clarinetist and flutist Rob Frye, and synthesizer player Dan Quinlivan.

Reception

In a review for AllMusic, Paul Simpson wrote: "The album generally sounds closer to Bitchin Bajas' cosmic zone-outs than Natural Information Society's exciting bursts of energy, but that doesn't mean the album is a snooze... ''Automaginary'' is a fluid collaboration with both parties completely tuned into the same wavelength, resulting in a sublime blending of kindred spirits." '' Pitchforks Aaron Leitko stated: "Bajas and Abrams both find serenity amid perceived stasis—making music that sounds repetitive, but is constantly undergoing subtle scene shifts and mutations... ''Automaginary'' works because both excel at making music that feels thoroughly modern, but also ancient." Marc Masters of ''

NPR Music NPR Music is a project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music ...

'' noted that, on the album, "the insistent, hypnotic pulses of NIS meld with Bitchin Bajas' drone-tinted layers like gentle rain falling from dense clouds." He singled out "Sign Spinners" for praise, commenting: "This airy, spacious music grows and grows without ever sounding cluttered." Writing for '' Boing Boing'', David Pescovitz called the album "stunning," and suggested that it will "launch you into the droney, pulsing minimalism pioneered by the likes of Terry Riley and

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer known for his contribution to the development of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, a ...

but with a

Krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments ...

edge." In an article for ''HHV Magazine'', Sebastian Hinz noted "the sheer joy of the mix between wild improvisation and restraint" heard in "On No Fade," and wrote: "For Bitchin Bajas, the collaboration is a blessing. It's as if they've let the stoned Genie out of the bong." Colin Joyce of ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' included ''Automaginary'' in his list of "The 20 Best Avant Albums of 2015." Author and music historian James Piazza stated: "It was an absolute delight to be introduced to a quality release which encompasses a trifecta of my favorite musical styles. From the first note, this triumph embodies all of the elements I enjoy in a composition."

Track listing

Personnel

;Natural Information Society * Joshua Abrams – double bass, guimbri, small harp * Emmett Kelly – guitar * Ben Boye – chromatic autoharp, electric piano *

– harmonium *

– drums * Mikel Avery – drums ;Bitchin Bajas * Cooper Crain – organ, synthesizer, bass * Rob Frye – bass clarinet, flute * Dan Quinlivan – synthesizers

References

{{authority control 2015 albums Drag City (record label) albums Natural Information Society albums