Wrekmeister Harmonies announce new album, Light Falls, coming September 16th from Thrill Jockey

Featuring members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, guest appearances by Ryley Walker & Cooper Crain (Cave); new lineup to tour later this fall

"Wrekmeister Harmonies excels at the cinematic approach to sound composition, driving narrative through slowly developing musical passages culminating in a roaring sea of dread."

 - A Closer Listen

“It's meant to be haunting and troubling, and it is—but Robinson's deeply ingrained sense of beauty lends it a cold and terrible dignity.”


- Chicago Reader
"There’s reason why folks like these flock to Robinson. He’s a musician’s musician, a guy who scouts for talent at choral concerts, blurs the line between classical symphonies and contemporary metal and records in crematoriums for effect.” 

- Jaded in Chicago 

Wrekmeister Harmonies return with their most sonically varied album to date, Light Falls, due out on September 16th, 2016 from Thrill Jockey. On Light Falls, the core of Wrekmeister, JR Robinson (vocals, guitar) and Esther Shaw (keyboards, piano, violin, vocals), are joined by Godspeed You! Black Emperor musicians Thierry Amar on bass and contrabass; Sophie Trudeau on piano, violin and vocals; and Timothy Herzog on drums. Chicago musicians Ryley Walker and Cooper Crain (Cave, Bitchin Bajas) make guest appearances on the album as well.

The title of the album originates from the text of If This Is A Man, Primo Levi’s meditation on the year the author spent as an inmate at Auschwitz. The Italian Jewish chemist and anti-fascist resistance fighter suggested in this seminal work that inhumanity comes about when things change slowly and people begin accepting things that they would normally find reprehensible. Robinson adds:

“I wanted to sonically convey the idea of slow, creeping change. When I came up with the title I was thinking of how when daylight turns to night time it’s a very gradual process. You are lulled into watching this slow, peaceful sunset but then all of a sudden you look up and it’s dark.”

Following the release of their album Night of Your Ascension last November, Wrekmeister Harmonies have toured relentlessly with the likes of Bell Witch, and members of Dead to a Dying World throughout North America and Europe. Wrekmeister will be touring North America and Europe in the new 5-piece format this fall/winter.
Wrekmeister Harmonies are on tour in North America this summer with Marissa Nadler, performing as a duo. Tour dates and Light Falls track listing can be found below; look for more information on Wrekmeister Harmonies to be announced soon.

Wrekmeister Harmonies Duo Tour Dates*


Jul 5 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir LoungeJul 6 - Boise, ID - Neurolux

Jul 8 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
Jul 9 - Denver, CO - Lost Lake Lounge

Jul 10 - Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge

Jul 11 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry

Jul 12 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle

Jul 13 - Detroit, MI - El Club

Jul 14 - Toronto, ON - The Drake Hotel

Jul 15 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa

Jul 16 - Hudson, NY - Half Moon

Jul 19 - Boston, MA - Great Scott

Jul 20 - Providence, RI - Aurora

Jul 21 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom

Jul 22 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s

Jul 24 - Washington, D.C. - DC9

Jul 25 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle Backstage

Jul 26 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl

Jul 27 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa

Jul 29 - Austin, TX - Sidewinder

Jul 30 - Dallas, TX - Dada

Aug 1 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar

Aug 2 - San Diego, CA - Casbah

Aug 3 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo

Aug 4 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel

Aug 5 - Big Sur, CA - Henry Miller Library

Aug 7 - Vancouver, CA - Cobalt

Aug 8 - Seattle, WA - Barboza

* w/ Marissa Nadler, Muscle & Marrow

Wrekmeister Harmonies Light Falls Track Listing:

1. Light Falls I - The Mantra 

2. Light Falls II - The Light Burns Us All 

3. Light Falls III - Light Sick 

4. The Gathering 

5. Where Have You Been My Lovely Son? 

6. Some Were Save Some Drowned 

7. My Lovely Son Reprise Pre-order Light Falls from Thrill Jockey mailorder.

Photo by Katie Hovland.

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