A Merge Group consists of Dan Bejar of Destroyer, Superchunk frontmanand Merge co-founder Mac McCaughan, guitarist William Tyler, Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak, Megafaun’s Brad Cook, and jazz composer/saxophonist Ken Vandermark. To celebrate Philip Glass’s 80th birthday, the squad gathered in Chapel Hill to record this album as a tribute to the revered composer’s interpretationSymphony No. 4of David Bowie’s classic 1977 LP, Heroes. Glass, in conjunction with the aforementioned artists, decided on the tracklist: “Abdulmajid” was added, plus “Beauty and the Beast” and “Joe the Lion,” which Glass left off for Symphony No.4, are also included. Check out “Heroes,” which is A Merge Group’s version of Glass’s version of a Bowie smash (co-written by Brian Eno), and you can sense the excitement of everyone involved with the project, something that can also be said of the entire 8-tracker. Check out “Sons of the Silent Age,” “Neukoln,” and “Sense of Doubt.”

• recorded live on 3/5/17 in Memorial Hall, Chapel Hill, NC
• music label: Merge Records 2019

reviewed by singing in japanese 02/19