Issue #1
Tom Skinner, Voices of Bishara recording session. Photo by André Baumecker.
Tom Skinner on His Favourite International Anthem Titles
Tom Skinner is a London based percussionist and composer best known for his work with Sons of Kemet and The Smile. Voices of Bishara, his debut release under his own name, was released on November 4, 2022 via International Anthem, Nonesuch Records, and Brownswood Recordings.
Rob Mazurek
Alternate Moon Cycles
Where better to start than the beginning? International Anthem's inaugural release is a deeply meditative work of ambient minimalism from trumpeter and Chicago experimental music mainstay Rob Mazurek. Accompanied by Matt Lux on bass and Mikel Patrick Avery on organ, this beautiful record plays something like Brian Eno's Apollo but if it was recorded live at the Plugged Nickel. Celestial music of the highest order.
01
Jeff Parker
Forfolks
You know when you find one of those albums that just makes you feel good? That, despite all the madness and heinous shit going on in the world around us, makes you feel like everything will be ok?... this solo-guitar outing from Chicago legend Jeff Parker is just that.
I love the intimacy of how it's recorded, almost like you're sitting next to Jeff in his front room. Striking a perfect balance of melodic exploration, jazz guitar stylings and textural-ambience. It includes a version of the [Tortoise off shoot project] Isotope 217 classic “La Jetée” alongside inspired readings of Thelonious Monk's "Ugly Beauty” and the standard “My Ideal”. I could literally listen to this wonderful album all day long and it will never be enough.
02
Freddie Douggie
Live On Juneteenth
A recording I'd like to highlight that I don't feel garnered enough attention at the time of its release is this future blues and experimental folk exploration from multi-instrumentalists Ben LaMar Gay and JayVe Montgomery. This lesser-known cassette and digital only release, as the title suggests, is made up of fragments of live recordings from “sonic ceremonies held on Shackle Island, Tennessee on Juneteenth some years ago." Combining traditional folk/roots forms and instruments - including the diddley bow and harmonica with field recordings and modern beat-making tools and production techniques, this intriguing collection of instrumentals and vocal incantations* a jubilant and poignant celebration of the rich tapestry of Black musical heritage in the US to commemorate this historic day.
03
jaimie branch
Fly or Die
I'm still absolutely devastated at the tragic news of jaimie's passing back in August of this year. She made such an immediate impression the first time we met when Sons of Kemet played our very first club show in Chicago, and I feel so fortunate our paths crossed multiple times over the years. On that same trip to Chicago [IA label boss] Scott McNiece gave me a copy of her debut solo album Fly or Die. I had not heard jaimie's music before and was immediately flawed by its joyous, no-nonsense directness and free-flowing approach to rhythm and melody. I'd never heard improvised music so accessible before, but not in a corny way. This was the music l'd been waiting my whole life for, without knowing it. Peace to jaimie branch.
04
Makaya McCraven
In These Times
I can't really talk about International Anthem without speaking about the work of master drummer/beat-maker/producer/composer Makaya McCraven. I could easily have picked any one of his multiple releases for the label but his most recent LP In These Times really does feel like the zenith of an artist in full flight. The culmination of everything he has been working towards up to this point-the drumming is off the chain of course, but also the sound and production of the record is on another level. The beats are on point, the way he's cut between the live and studio recordings is seamless. Every aspect has been so carefully thought out and painstakingly pieced together. In These Times is a record we'll still be talking about in decades to come.
05
Tracing The Lines is a creative exploration of International Anthem Recording Co. and the community that surrounds it.
Issue #1
64-page 170x250mm newsprint zine, printed in CMYK on 55gsm stock.
Banner photo by Lori Mendoza