Eighth Blackbird - Strange Imaginary Animals

Far from your typical walk in the park, Strange Imaginary Animals, much like the title sounds, is an abstract album evoking sounds of wildlife and even delivery trucks. Instruments are played unconventionally - guitar picks plucking piano strings, thimbles striking violin strings, etc. - to create these wild sounds. If you want a CD created in its own world marching to its own beat, by all means, get yourself a copy. If you're looking for any semblance of homophony, steer clear of Strange Imaginary Animals.

Warning! Listening to the album with the slightest bit of stress or anxiety is not a good idea. Strange Imaginary Animals has the unique gift of amplifying them!

Frankly, Strange Imaginary Animals is probably an album I will never listen to again. I strongly dislike this style of music, as I get absolutely no satisfaction from listening. It's abrasive, unstructured, and ugly. However, I admire Eighth Blackbird for choosing to perform such bizarre works of art - they are a tremendously talented group of musicians, showing their extreme range of musical styles.

On the album you'll find works by five different composers, whose music represents ideas of movement, violence, and wildlife. Jennifer Higdon's Zaka, Gordon Fitzell's Violence (Preview, Purchase and Download) and Evanescence, David M. Gordon's Friction Systems, and Dennis DeSantis' Strange Imaginary Remix (Preview, Purchase and Download) are all world premier recordings. Also on the album is Steven Mackey's famous Indigenous Instruments.