John Colpitts, aka Kid Millions, aka the powerhouse drummer of one of the finest rock bands on the planet, Oneida, has announced the release of a new album as Man Forever. Pansophical Cataract will be released through Thrill Jockey on May 14th, which ought to be exciting news indeed for anyone who’s been fortunate enough to see him drumming (or hear him on any of Oneida’s records).
Man Forever is Kid’s outlet for ensemble pieces and longform drum compositions, which began as a live project in 2010 and has now expanded to include guitar, bass and organ. As part of the project he’s previously collaborated with an impressive roster of musicians, including Yo La Tengo’s James McNew, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Brian Chase and Shahin Motia, current member of Oneida and sometime frontman of Ex Models.
Pansophical Cataract consists of two tracks, ‘Surface Patterns’ and ‘Ur Eternity’, each of which have apparently been trimmed down from their 30-40 minute live versions to around 18 minutes apiece. Expect it to draw in many of the influences that are so audible in his music with Oneida – minimalist composition, motorik grooves and jazz.
"Based on two drummers playing single stroke rolls on a single drum and the patterns that emerge from that," says the blurb accompanying the record’s announcement, "Pansophical Cataract is propulsive without a pulse. Patterns evolve and burst through the static surface of the material, much of which was produced by electric instruments, though ‘Ur Eternity’ remains mostly drums with only a few bass tracks making an appearance. The sounds created by these instruments were based on the drones that Colpitts hears when he is practicing (the not fully conscious singing or humming that arises when one practices alone), and then augmented and enhanced by the other musicians on the record. The repetitive rolls create a phasing effect, a music in and of itself, and the dynamic shifts that occur when the other instruments enter become not mere notes, but grand events."
