{"id":3965,"date":"2022-02-08T20:42:34","date_gmt":"2022-02-09T02:42:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=3965"},"modified":"2022-02-08T20:53:16","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T02:53:16","slug":"irreversible-entanglements-open-gates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/irreversible-entanglements-open-gates\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Irreversible Entanglements&#8217; &#8216;Open the Gates&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>&#8220;I\u2019m so close,&#8221; poet Camae Ayewa, a\/k\/a Moor Mother, intones on &#8220;L\u00e1grimas del Mar&#8221; off of Irreversible Entanglements\u2019\u00a0<em>Open the Gates<\/em>\u00a0(International Anthem\/Don Giovanni, 2021). The hope in her voice is so palpable you can almost see her eyes widen with expectation. &#8220;I\u2019m so close to the good news, the silver and gold, the daily bread.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A fanfare of multiple overdubbed horns proclaims the arrival of the good news immediately with the opening title cut, a celebratory declaration that &#8220;[i]t&#8217;s energy time!&#8221; With its exultant beat and echoes of street parades, it&#8217;s one of the most joyous things you will hear in this year of darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since releasing its self-titled debut in 2017, Irreversible Entanglements has served as prophet, stern jurist, and avenging angel in a society that the band portrays as eating itself alive. Over forthright, nearly free-jazz instrumentals, Ayewa, the band&#8217;s most notable and compelling voice, hurled flamethrower indictments that landed with the eternal fury of wrathful gods. Her words leave marks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=1115139510\/album=581489244\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, it is fair to ask: has Irreversible Entanglements gone soft?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer \u2013 blessedly, because we need Ayewa&#8217;s fierce witness \u2013 is no. Still,&nbsp;<em>Open the Gates,<\/em>&nbsp;&nbsp;the third release by the Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, DC collective, admits a measure of optimism, a fountain of cool water, to the band&#8217;s well-known and well-earned fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On &#8220;Water Meditation,&#8221; the political becomes the personal. A reverent Ayewa beseeches &#8220;[w]ater me. If you know a woman, then you know a thing about the water. Water me. Water me, love, the revolution. Baptism by water, by desire&#8221; over quiet bells and Aquiles Navarro&#8217;s declamatory trumpet. An eye-popping Luke Stewart bass solo ushers in a more forceful section that seems, at first, to be a praise song to Yemay\u00e1, the Yoruba Osha who lives in the water. But as the music grows darker and more turbulent, the object of Ayewa&#8217;s praise is revealed: Oy\u00e1, the fierce female warrior and the Osha of change. At nearly 21 minutes, &#8220;Water Meditation&#8221; is the recording&#8217;s longest cut and its center of rhetorical gravity. As the song ends, Ayewa makes what might be a statement of purpose for<em>&nbsp;Open the Gates<\/em>: &#8220;We are sounding. Healing. Dream chasing. And we hold on to everything. Soft landing. For peace.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the fires that fuel Ayewa and Irreversible Entanglements are not extinguished. They are merely banked and all the more powerful for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the concluding &#8220;The Port Remembers,&#8221; Ayewa recounts &#8220;a dream, a nightmare,&#8221; as chains rattle beneath her, and Stewart&#8217;s arco bass moans a dirge. A spirit surveys the tragic landmarks of bondage \u2013 Gor\u00e9e Island, the sugar plantations, the docks \u2013 and shows receipts from Charles II (&#8216;the devil&#8221;), the Heywood Brothers, and more. Roused, from their unmarked graves, the spirits arise in a stately march in seven, the biblical number of completion.&#8221; The port remembers the slow walk into the void washing away the blood Dirt hands,&#8221; Ayewa intones at the conclusion. &#8220;How come we can\u2019t remember?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Irreversible Entanglements remembers and insists that we remember, too. It might not be the only band that matters. But right now, no band matters more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"435\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 560px; height: 435px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/VideoEmbed?track=494197784&#038;size=venti&#038;bgcol=ffffff&#038;linkcol=0687f5\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" mozallowfullscreen='1' webkitallowfullscreen='1' allowfullscreen='1'><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Open the Gates is available on International Anthem\/Don Giovanni. It can be purchased through <a href=\"https:\/\/intlanthem.bandcamp.com\/album\/open-the-gates\">Bandcamp<\/a> or on our <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3rC3wos\">Amazon affiliate store<\/a>. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tracklist: 1. Open the Gates; 2. Keys to Creation; 3. L\u00e1grimas del Mar; 4. Storm Came Twice; 5. Water Meditation; 6. The Six Sounds; 7. The Port Remembers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Personnel: Camae Ayewa\/Moor Mother (voice, synth), Aquiles Navarro (trumpet, synth), Keir Neuringer (saxophone, synth, percussion), Luke Stewart (double bass, bass guitar), Tcheser Holmes (drums, percussion).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I\u2019m so close,&#8221; poet Camae Ayewa, a\/k\/a Moor Mother, intones on &#8220;L\u00e1grimas del Mar&#8221; off of Irreversible Entanglements\u2019\u00a0Open the Gates\u00a0(International Anthem\/Don Giovanni, 2021). The hope in her voice is so palpable you can almost see her eyes widen with expectation. &#8220;I\u2019m so close to the good news, the silver and gold, the daily bread.&#8221; A [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":3966,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":51,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/HKPS-Irreversible-Entanglements-6796.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peRkRR-11X","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":762,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/irreversible-entanglements-who-sent-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":3965,"position":0},"title":"Review: Irreversible Entanglements&#8217; &#8216;Who Sent You?&#8217;","author":"Brian Kiwanuka","date":"May 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"In their debut and the live album released a year ago, Irreversible Entanglements wowed audiences with energetic free-jazz poetry performances, and that doesn't stop on Who Sent You? (International Anthem, 2020). Camae Ayewa does not have as many lines as on the band's first album, but whenever she does speak\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Irreversible Entanglements","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ie-groupshot-crop_page_image.jpg?fit=870%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ie-groupshot-crop_page_image.jpg?fit=870%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ie-groupshot-crop_page_image.jpg?fit=870%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ie-groupshot-crop_page_image.jpg?fit=870%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2029,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/kiwanuka-2019-list\/","url_meta":{"origin":3965,"position":1},"title":"Brian Kiwanuka\u2019s Favorite Jazz Albums of 2019","author":"Brian Kiwanuka","date":"November 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"As the PostGenre Team is working on their list(s) of Favorites from 2020, here is a flashback to Brian Kiwanuka\u2019s 2019 list. This list originally appeared at Nextbop. 10. Brandee Younger \u2013 Soul Awakening (Self Release) The harp is a spellbinding instrument and throughout Soul Awakening Brandee Younger is a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Lists&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Lists","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/lists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/BeFunky-collage4.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/BeFunky-collage4.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/BeFunky-collage4.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/BeFunky-collage4.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2360,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/chacona-best-of-2020\/","url_meta":{"origin":3965,"position":2},"title":"John Chacona\u2019s Best Albums of 2020","author":"John Chacona","date":"January 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Here it is, a \"Best Of\" list for the worst of years. Alright, that's a bit jokey; the fact is that 2020 produced an extraordinary efflorescence of great music. Lilacs out of the dead land of pandemic-ravaged, polarized America. This list was culled from a larger list of superb recordings,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Lists&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Lists","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/lists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/chacona-list-2020.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/chacona-list-2020.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/chacona-list-2020.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/chacona-list-2020.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9635,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/unknown-rivers-luke-stewart\/","url_meta":{"origin":3965,"position":3},"title":"Spirit Walking: A Conversation with Luke Stewart","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"September 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"There is something mysterious about a river. As Eartha Kitt noted, \u201cThe river is constantly turning and bending and you never know where it's going to go and where you'll wind up.\u201d Its inconsistency makes the water both frightening and liberating. For the many who have lost their lives in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_9594-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_9594-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_9594-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_9594-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6104,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/newport-jazz-performances-that-changed-music-history\/","url_meta":{"origin":3965,"position":4},"title":"The Recorded Legacy: Five Newport Performances that Changed Music History","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"June 19, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"One cannot adequately assess the history of the Newport Jazz Festival without examining the recordings captured at the event through the years. In many ways approaching the recorded history of Newport is a gargantuan task. Discogs currently reflects 3,292 Newport Jazz releases. Many of these are reissues of albums, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Newport Jazz Festival History&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Newport Jazz Festival History","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/special-series\/newport-jazz-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/BeFunky-collage-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/BeFunky-collage-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/BeFunky-collage-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/BeFunky-collage-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7405,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/cloudward-mary-halvorson\/","url_meta":{"origin":3965,"position":5},"title":"Cloudward: A Conversation with Mary Halvorson","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"January 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Philosopher G.K. Chesterton once commented, \"There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.\" Here on the ground, architects must follow rigid rules and principles to ensure the sturdy erection of their vision and avoid collapse. But what happens when you work in a place where\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Mary1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Mary1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Mary1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Mary1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3965"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3965\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3972,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3965\/revisions\/3972"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}