Au
Ecstatic, polyrhythmic pop that feels like a communal celebration. Dense layers of piano, brass, and group chants for high-energy creative focus.
Ecstatic, polyrhythmic pop that feels like a communal celebration. Dense layers of piano, brass, and group chants for high-energy creative focus.
Au sounds like a burst of kinetic energy captured in a recording studio. It is music that feels physically alive, driven by Luke Wyland’s frantic, polyrhythmic piano playing and Dana Valatka’s thunderous, precise drumming. There is a sense of 'organized chaos' here, where avant-garde composition meets the unbridled joy of a gospel choir or a basement punk show. The textures are thick and organic, favoring wooden and brass vibrations over synthetic ones.
What makes Au truly distinctive is the way they use the human voice as a rhythmic, communal instrument. Instead of traditional lead vocals, you often hear stacks of harmonies and group chants that feel like a village coming together for a ritual. The songs often build from a single repetitive piano motif into a massive, wall-of-sound crescendo that manages to be both intellectually complex and emotionally cathartic.
Start with their 2012 album 'Both Lights' to hear their most polished and expansive vision. It features contributions from avant-garde heavyweights like Colin Stetson and perfectly captures the band's ability to turn experimental theory into a celebratory, foot-stomping experience.
AU was a Portland, Oregon experimental pop group established by multi-instrumentalist Luke Wyland. Wyland started AU in 2005 while completing a degree at the Massachusetts College of Art. He later moved cross-country to Portland and established a base in its music community. Now a working live band, AU features an ever-changing roster of players, recently including Jonathan Sielaff (Parenthetical Girls, Nick Jaina) on guitar, clarinets and saw; and Dana Valatka (Mustaphamond) on drums. Contributors to AU's recordings included Mark Kaylor (Hamor of Hathor, CexFucx), Becky Dawson (Saw Whet, Ah Holly Fam'ly), and Sarah Winchester (A Weather). Its self-titled debut album was praised by such media centers as Pitchfork and Stereogum, and was named #2 Portland Album of 2007 by The Portland Mercury, which said AU "manages to erase the high art/low art boundary between American contemporary classical music and American pop music, blending them into a simple, compelling, verse-chorus celebration... (and) is the rare band that can reinvent its songs live and still manage to match their recorded quality." Wyland has recorded, produced and released 4 recordings as AU. AU - Au (2007). AU - Verbs (2008). AU - Versions (2009). AU - Both Lights (2012).
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