My Education
Trying to pigeonhole the music of Austin's My Education is akin to trying to stuff a pigeon in a hole: the sound is calamitous, there's movement all around, the frenzied beating of wings against wall, and somewhere something is pumping out blood. There is an oddly, compelling tension that rears its head when the night hits its darkest hour and the crescendos hit their highest peaks. This is the feeling you get when My Education's newest LP, ‘Sunrise', takes off with soaring, cinematic instrumentals - an amazing concoction of guitar drones, melodic viola, and thundering rhythms.
Sunrise, a new album of pieces from their original score for F.W. Murnau’s 1927 silent masterpiece “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans”, finds the band in peak form. Having perfected the material with live film performances over the last two years with sold out shows across the USA, My Education has captured 40 plus minutes of a soundtrack to the long dark night of the soul. Sunrise is an aural experience that is original and unique. This soundtrack finds parallels with the soundscapes Popol Vuh created for Werner Herzog’s films. All told, this is their most diverse and mature release to date.
Since forming in 1999, the band’s membership has expanded and contracted while the sonic landscapes have grown with each release. My Education has released 5 full-length albums, several singles, compilation appearances, and a 12" vinyl collaboration with avant-hip hop duo Dalek. Recordings have been remixed by members of bands Kinski, Pelican, the Red Sparowes and Dalek. Albums include 5 Popes, Italian, Moody Dipper, Bad Vibrations and the latest Sunrise out on Strange Attractors Audio House in the USA & Canada and on Golden Antenna in Europe.
Several tours throughout the country have kept fans abuzz with My Education’s experimental blend of stoned drones and noisy tones. The sonic squalls captivate the listener with intoxicating waves of aural exhilaration. The music of My Education takes you on a journey of mischief & mayhem - from sunset to Sunrise.
In June 2010 the band completed a series of improvisational recordings with Salt Lake City ensemble Theta Naught that were edited and mixed by the Bump Boyz in Headbump Studios and released April 2011 on Differential Records. "Sound Mass" performances at festivals SXSW and Austin Psych Fest were greeted with wild acclaim, and a Daytrotter Sound Mass session was released in July 2011. My Education’s collaboration with the Noble Motion dance company premiered to three sold out shows in June 2011 at the Austin Ballet. More shows are planned under this collaboration in various cities around the nation. Expect to hear a new album of Sunrise remixes in early 2012 as well as a limited edition live album from the 2010 tour and an out-of-print album (“5 Popes”) remastered and re-released in 2012 in a nice vinyl package. The band are currently keeping busy in the studio recording tracks for
a forthcoming new album and a European tour for 2012.