Not the Wind, Not the Flag Prep 'Vermillion' LP, Preview "Aurora"

BY Alan RantaPublished Sep 17, 2015

Following eight years of playing together, highlighted by their controlled burn at the 2015 Obey Convention in Halifax, Toronto-based psychedelic free-jazz duo guitarist/saxophonist Colin Fisher and percussionist Brandon Valdivia are set to release Vermillion on October 1. Together known as Not the Wind, Not the Flag, the duo have previously issued several cassettes and CDs on labels such as Healing Power, Inyrdisk and Barnyard Records, but thanks to Pleasance Records, this will be their first-ever appearance on vinyl.

The press release describes the album as "two long tracks over 17 minutes that display the duo's long-form, improvisational approach, similar to the sustained intensity of free jazz but with a harder edge that pushes it towards a heavier sound more often associated with psychedelic rock."

Exclaim! is pleased to premiere the first taste of this release, a five-minute excerpt of Vermillion's opening track, "Aurora." It's a wondrous, freewheeling experiment that displays all of Fisher's experience playing and collaborating with the likes of Anthony Braxton and Rhys Chatham, and Valdivia's experience working with Sook-Yin Lee and Tanya Tagaq. The pulsing cacophonous drums on this track are as mad as Zach Hill, while the searing guitar theatrics could rival Robin Trower (the guy from which Robert Fripp took lessons).

Look for Vermillion on vinyl on October 1, and check out a slice of "Aurora" below.

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