Asphalt Orchestra - Asphalt Orchestra Plays Pixies: Surfer Rosa (2014) [Hi-Res]

That influence remains as steadfast as ever among the feverish minds behind Asphalt Orchestra, the 12-piece New York-based marching band with an eclectic ear for new music and boundary-blurring arrangements. The band’s unpredictable repertoire includes the music of Goran Bregovich, David Byrne, Frank Zappa, Charles Mingus, Tatsuya Yoshida, Meshuggah, Yoko Ono and more, so it’s only fitting they should choose to tackle a boisterous, at times even downright ornery noise-rock classic, right?

And tackle it they do. From the rambunctious opening cut “Bone Machine” to the off-kilter, otherworldly arrangement of the radio hit “Gigantic,” AOPP remains true to the punkish attitude of the original while exploring the rich melodies that underpin these alt-rock classics. In fact, Pixies were so taken with the project that they invited the band to join them on tour for two popup dates in early 2014. (At the famed Capitol Theater just north of Manhattan, fans expressed their glee by singing along with Asphalt’s version of “Bone Machine.”)

Intrepid, energetic and unconventional, AOPP touches a nerve that connects rock and new music — a daring brew lauded by the New York Times as “...quirky, funky, inventive and idiomatic.”

Jessica Schmitz, piccolo
Jas Walton, soprano saxophone
Ken Thomson, alto saxophone
Peter Hess, tenor saxophone
Ben Holmes, trumpet
Steph Richards, trumpet
Tim Vaughn, trombone
Jen Baker, trombone
Kenny Bentley, sousaphone
Sunny Jain, snare
Kenneth Salters, bass drum
Yuri Yamashita, quad toms

01. Asphalt Orchestra - Bone Machine (2:56)
02. Asphalt Orchestra - Break My Body (4:00)
03. Asphalt Orchestra - Something Against You (1:52)
04. Asphalt Orchestra - Broken Face (1:42)
05. Asphalt Orchestra - Gigantic (4:41)
06. Asphalt Orchestra - River Euphrates (3:51)
07. Asphalt Orchestra - Where Is My Mind? (3:55)
08. Asphalt Orchestra - Cactus (2:30)
09. Asphalt Orchestra - Tony's Theme (1:54)
10. Asphalt Orchestra - Oh My Golly! (1:44)
11. Asphalt Orchestra - Vamos (3:05)
12. Asphalt Orchestra - Chorale - I'm Amazed (3:00)
13. Asphalt Orchestra - Brick Is Red (3:31)