Cutting his musical teeth assisting Nico Muhly with arrangements for artists like The National, Sufjan Stevens, and Passion Pit, Ellis Ludwig-Leone brought that experience and his unusual and creative sense of arrangement to bear on his debut album as San Fermin. Combining brass-work with sections of clever baroque-pop strings, the band delves into the abstract pop landscape inhabited by peers like The Dirty Projectors and Animal Collective. Forming the core of the band alongside Leone is longtime friend and collaborator Allen Tate and singers Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe of indie-pop band Lucius. Utilizing backing musicians who have played with artists such as Bon Iver, yMusic, and Asphalt Orchestra, the songs from San Fermin feel communal yet oddly personal–grand statements made intimate.
Our first taste of their debut comes in the form of horn and string processional “Sonsick.” Bearing a strikingly similar intro to “Stillness Is The Move” by The Dirty Projectors, this track pairs warm brass with Laessig and Wolfe’s emotive voices swirling together around a martial beat which gains steam until it erupts in a vocal catharsis across the chorus. The song will have you singing along even if you’re not exactly sure about the lyrics. It’s infectious and very welcome in this cold month. “Sonsick” manages to pull the listener out of the seasonal dumps (if you’re so predisposed) and makes you wish that February 12th would get here just a little bit sooner.
Beats Per Minute is pleased to premiere “Sonsick” from San Fermin’s self-released debut record out February 12th.
San Fermin
San Fermin
(self-released)
February 12, 2013
01. Renaissance
02. Crueler Kind
03. Lament for V.G.
04. Casanova
05. Sonsick
06. Methuselah
07. At Sea
08. Torero
09. At Night, True Love
10. The Count
11. Bar
12. In Waiting
13. True Love, Asleep
14. Oh, Darling
15. In The Morning
16. Daedalus
17. Altogether Changed
