{"id":5549,"date":"2023-01-22T16:52:27","date_gmt":"2023-01-22T22:52:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=5549"},"modified":"2023-01-22T17:04:30","modified_gmt":"2023-01-22T23:04:30","slug":"thumbscrew-multicolored-midnight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/thumbscrew-multicolored-midnight\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Thumbscrew\u2019s \u2018Multicolored Midnight\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The fourth cut on Thumbscrew\u2019s\u00a0<em>Multicolored Midnight\u00a0<\/em>(Cuneiform, 2022) is entitled \u201cShit Changes.\u201d You don\u2019t have to be a climate scientist or Sam Bankman-Fried to appreciate the truth of that phrase, and it could just be another of bassist Michael Formanek\u2019s cheekily subversive titles. Yet despite ten years of consistently provocative and satisfying music making, the cooperative trio of Formanek, drummer Tomas Fujiwara and guitarist Mary Halvorson is changing too, and\u00a0<em>Multicolored Midnight<\/em>\u00a0offers persuasive and fascinating evidence of evolution.<\/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=2928765426\/album=2226320960\/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>Let\u2019s start with the instrumentation. You might not notice Formanek\u2019s subtle electronics, but like a tiny dollop of miso in a broth, they add a crucial umami. More obvious is the addition of Fujiwara\u2019s vibraphone, which adds an eerie, vaporousness to his own \u201cFuture Reruns and Nostalgia,\u201d and provides a second melodic voice on \u201cShit Changes.&#8221; It\u2019s like a George Shearing Group on acid.<\/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=4211042901\/album=2226320960\/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>Thumbscrew has always presented itself as a leaderless cooperative. No other band sounds like this one, yet the strong ensemble identity never obscures the three composers\u2019 individual voices. With credits on five of the 11 tracks, Formanek is the most prominent composer here. His \u201cI\u2019m A Senator!\u201d is a swaggering fat-cat strut down the halls of Congress set to a funky bassline and crisp backbeat. The ADHD opening of \u201cFidgety\u201d is truth in titling, as is \u201cShould Be Cool,\u201d a laconic, Motianesque rubato line. Halvorson\u2019s title cut, one of her three contributions to the recording, also comes as advertised. It has a melancholic, vaguely country section, a flavor that also appears in her occasionally Ornette-ish \u201cSurvival Fetish.\u201d Her \u201cSwirling Lines\u201d could be through-composed, a lovely bit of chamber jazz that would have been equally at home on Halvorson\u2019s much-praised solo release&nbsp;<em>Amaryllis&nbsp;<\/em>(Nonesuch, 2022). Fujiwara\u2019s other contributions are \u201cSong For Mr. Humphries,\u201d dedicated to Pittsburgh drum elder Roger Humphries, and \u201cBrutality and Beauty,\u201d a knotty line over a deft, additive-meter groove. It&#8217;s a capsule statement of the trio\u2019s working method: tight, imaginative structures with exploratory solos, and ensemble cohesion that frames individual virtuosity and grooves, but not the grooves you might expect. Shit may change, but a decade after its founding Thumbscrew is still at the summit of creative music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Multicolored Midnight is now available on Cuneiform Records.<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com\/album\/multicolored-midnight-2\"><strong> It can be purchased on Bandcamp.<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tracklist: 1. I&#8217;m A Senator!; 2. Song For Mr. Humphries; 3. Survival Fetish; 4. Shit Changes; 5. Fidgety; 6. Multicolored Midnight; 7. Future Reruns and Nostalgia; 8. Capsicum Annuum; 9. Swirling Lives;10. Should Be Cool; 11. Brutality and Beauty.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Personnel: Michael Formanek (double bass and electronics), Tomas Fujiwara (drums and vibraphone), Mary Halvorson (guitar).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Photo credit: Brian Cohen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The fourth cut on Thumbscrew\u2019s\u00a0Multicolored Midnight\u00a0(Cuneiform, 2022) is entitled \u201cShit Changes.\u201d You don\u2019t have to be a climate scientist or Sam Bankman-Fried to appreciate the truth of that phrase, and it could just be another of bassist Michael Formanek\u2019s cheekily subversive titles. Yet despite ten years of consistently provocative and satisfying music making, the cooperative [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":5550,"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":45,"_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-5549","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\/2023\/01\/artist_photo-Thumbscrew-2022-1-credit_Brian_Cohen.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peRkRR-1rv","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2556,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/thumbscrew-never-is-enough\/","url_meta":{"origin":5549,"position":0},"title":"Review: Thumbscrew&#8217;s &#8216;Never is Enough&#8217;","author":"Brian Kiwanuka","date":"February 24, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It hasn't even been a year since Thumbscrew released their superb record in tribute to Anthony Braxton, but the trio is already back with Never Is Enough (Cuneiform Records, 2021). Braxton's influence is still apparent, especially in the more rigid moments, but this album is a completely different experience. For\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/thumbscrew.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\/02\/thumbscrew.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/thumbscrew.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/thumbscrew.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1950,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/alcorn-pedernal\/","url_meta":{"origin":5549,"position":1},"title":"Review: Susan Alcorn&#8217;s &#8216;Pedernal\u2019","author":"John Chacona","date":"November 19, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Geography isn\u2019t destiny, but it might explain some things about pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn and her new release, Pedernal (Relative Pitch Records, 2020). Alcorn is based in Baltimore, a place where the strange, unexpected and contradictory thrive. It is the birthplace of Edgar Allan Poe, Frank Zappa and John\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/0021677624_10.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\/0021677624_10.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/0021677624_10.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/0021677624_10.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":982,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-roy-ayers-adrian-younge-ali-shaheed-muhammad-roy-ayers-jid-002\/","url_meta":{"origin":5549,"position":2},"title":"Review: Roy Ayers, Adrian Younge &#038; Ali Shaheed Muhammad&#8217;s &#8216;Roy Ayers JID 002&#8217;","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"June 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Humanity has a longstanding fascination with incorporating the latest technological developments into music. This interest is perhaps most evident in the history of sampling. In the 1940s, Pierre Schaeffer started producing sonic collages by splicing and manipulating sound recordings. His works formed the base of an experimental form known as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Roy Ayers Ali Shaheed Muhammad Adrian Younge","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/0Z3A9960-e1592536780708.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/0Z3A9960-e1592536780708.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/0Z3A9960-e1592536780708.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/0Z3A9960-e1592536780708.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/0Z3A9960-e1592536780708.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11151,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-colson-glow-trio-add-voice\/","url_meta":{"origin":5549,"position":3},"title":"Review: Adegoke Steve Colson and Iqua Colson\u2019s \u2018GLOW: Music for Trio \u2026. Add Voice\u2019","author":"Jim Hynes","date":"August 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"It has been quite some time since we heard from second generation AACM members\u00a0 Adegoke \u201cAde\u201d Steve Colson and Iqua Colson, but GLOW: Music for Trio \u2026 Add Voice (Silver Sphinx, 2025) sums up their artistry well: protest pieces, spirituality, and pure jazz that is more accessible than you might\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/img_1017.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\/2025\/08\/img_1017.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/img_1017.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/img_1017.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5549","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=5549"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5554,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5549\/revisions\/5554"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}