Outlaster by Nina Nastasia

Recording once more with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Nina engaged Los Angeles instrumentalist and arranger Paul Bryan to adapt her songs into a score for a small orchestra. Featuring drummer Jay Bellerose and Chicago guitarist Jeff Parker (Tortoise), Outlaster is aided by, all in all, a dream band. This album is a 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 the late Phil Ochs – burnishing the record with lustrous horns and reeds and a dynamic string ensemble.