Ben Lamar Gay - Downtown Castles Can Never Block The Sun (IA11 Edition) (2025) [Hi-Res]

  • 17 Mar, 14:27
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Artist:
Title: Downtown Castles Can Never Block The Sun (IA11 Edition)
Year Of Release: 2025
Label: International Anthem
Genre: Jazz
Quality: FLAC (tracks) / 24bit-44.1kHz FLAC (tracks)
Total Time: 59:26
Total Size: 329 / 626 MB
WebSite:

Tracklist:

1. Vitis Labrusca (0:32)
2. Muhal (3:43)
3. Music for 18 Hairdressers: Braids & Fractals (2:26)
4. Jubilee (3:23)
5. A Seasoning Called Primavera (3:51)
6. Miss Nealie Burns (2:48)
7. Me, Jayve & the Big Bee (1:45)
8. Uvas (4:19)
9. Galveston (3:47)
10. Swim Swim (3:23)
11. Kunni (3:47)
12. Melhor Que Tem (3:29)
13. Gator Teeth (1:23)
14. 7th Stanza (0:57)
15. Oh No...Not Again! (4:53)
16. For Marcelo Yuka (2:05)
17. Wine and Lemon Soda (2:11)
18. Carousel (3:09)
19. Super Science (4:11)
20. Lapus (excerpt) (3:33)

Ben LaMar Gay’s de facto debut album, 'Downtown Castles Can Never Block The Sun', was our attempt to introduce the legendary Chicago composer / improviser / renaissance man to the rest of the world with a compilation of tracks from 7 albums he made over 7 years (though he hadn’t yet made the effort to actually release). The material showcases Gay’s penchant for genre-hopping – from Steve Reich-ian soundscape voyages to Don Cherry-esque polyrhythm treks to Jorge Ben-style vocal-and-string earworms – while keeping his singular musical voice in focus.

In the years since its release, this long OOP collection has become a touchstone, foreshadowing the breadth and scope of Gay’s output since. The songs-between-the-songs warped Soul Americana madness and beauty of 'Open Arms To Open Us', the unhinged long form freedom of 'Certain Reveries' – each fresh mode would defy expectation if without the context established by Downtown Castles. To quote our OG announcement of the album: “to call it ‘eclectic’ would only scratch the surface. This music is everything.”