Nina Nastasia 'Outlaster' album out TODAY in USA & Canada

22/06/10

"Beautifully judged... these songs are once more torn from a remarkable songwriting mind" MOJO

"Her plushest, lushest sound yet... One Of her most eerily accomplished works to date" NME

Today sees the release of the stunning new Nina Nastasia album, 'Outlaster', which is available on CD, digital, and 180gm gatefold vinyl (including free MP3 download of the full album). Her first album in over two years, 'Outlaster' is an achievement of staggering beauty by an artist of pervasive, quiet influence undergoing a sea change in musical form.

Recording once more with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Nina engaged Los Angeles instrumentalist and arranger Paul Bryan (Grant Lee Buffalo, Aimee Mann, Allen Toussaint, Mavis Staples, Lucinda Williams and many more) to adapt her songs into a score for a small orchestra. Then Nastasia and long-time companion/collaborator Kennan Gudjonsson assembled string and woodwind quartets, finding the perfect complement with drummer Jay Bellerose and Chicago guitarist Jeff Parker (Tortoise).

Descriptions of Nina’s recent works, often put as “lean”, “sparse”, “delicate”, do not capture the spirit of 'Outlaster'. It is work of lush sophistication that, with no loss of distinction or economy, transcends the reach of Nastasia’s famed sparseness. The orchestra takes a more formal approach with Paul Bryan’s powerfully affecting score, hearkening back to the likes of Gil Evans and late Phil Ochs. Burnished with lustrous horns and reeds bolstered by a dynamic string ensemble, the record marks a distinct shift as much for the label as for Nina. Throughout FatCat’s richly diverse catalogue, you will not find another record like this.

You can read more, listen to the album tracks and buy the record on the album release page.