Stereo Six: Angell & Crane Come Up with Their Most Influential Records

Great musicians like Angell & Crane always seek out and discover new ways of challenging themselves. Each of them has been playing and writing music professionally for more than 20 years now. But it wasn’t until recently that the stars aligned and enabled the two to collaborate. Last month, they released their self-titled debut album Angell & Crane via For The Living And The Dead. (See our premiere of their “Twin Machines” music video). Via free-form studio sessions, guitarist Simon Angell and drummer Tommy Crane recorded over 40 hours of improvisational music. Their musical chemistry is quite obvious throughout the album which sees those 40 hours reduced down to 40 minutes. The album is uniquely textured thanks to their focused, meticulous approach.

For the recording process, Angell and Crane used an extensive array of microphones and inputs to capture everything that was happening. The studio became a tool that they used to their advantage which is unique within jazz music. As a genre, jazz has always favoured a live, unedited approach, even when recording. Angell & Crane wanted to get away from these traditions and use the studio as a tool for helping them shape their sound.

Angell & Crane join us today for our latest Stereo Six. They share with us six integral albums that influenced them through the recording of their own self-titled record.

1. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly (2015, Interscope Records)

Simon Angell: “Few artists have had as profound an impact on music in the 21st century as Kendrick Lamar. While good kid, m.A.A.d city set a new standard for hip-hop upon its release in 2012, it was 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly that elevated him to the status of musical icon, not just in hip-hop, but across all genres. It isn’t just a hip-hop record; it is a complex, genre-defying piece of art that incorporates elements of jazz, funk, spoken word, and soul, tackling heavy themes like racial identity, social justice, and personal struggle. Kendrick’s storytelling, lyrical prowess, the album’s production and choice of collaborators set a new standard, influencing countless artists.

“On our self-titled record, Angell & Crane, we drew heavy inspiration from To Pimp a Butterfly in our approach to transforming improvisations into more structured, cohesive pieces during post-production. A kind of reverse engineering where the “song” would come together after the music was recorded. If one were to compare it to visual art, our process would be like sculpting, where once we gathered the raw materials (ie- our hours of improvisations), it was by chipping away at this slab that the art underneath revealed itself. To Pimp a Butterfly follows a similar artistic approach, where the music feels meticulously crafted from raw, organic elements, gradually taking form into a cohesive, powerful work.”

2. Talk Talk – Laughing Stock (1991, Verve, Polydor)

Tommy Crane: “Talk Talk’s shift from ’80s synth-pop to a more ambient, minimalist, krautrock-inspired sound fully comes together on Laughing Stock. I first found it in 2005 while digging through a teacher’s record collection in college, and it felt like a revelation then and it still does. Every time I listen, I notice something new, and it always feels as fresh as that first time. It’s timeless, blurring the lines between eras; it feels like it could be from the ’70s or just released yesterday. It is an experience—you’ll catch something new each time.

“When Simon and I started making our album, we often asked ourselves, ‘What are we making here?’ We’re both drawn to music that reflects our diverse backgrounds as musicians, performing and recording with various bands outside the traditional ‘jazz’ world, yet never feeling tied to a specific genre. Talk Talk has been a huge inspiration for both of us because they represent a band that went against the grain, always searching for their authentic sound.”

Artwork for the albums Angell & Crane list in this Stereo Six

3. Tim Hecker – Virgins (2013, Kranky, Paper Bag)

Angell: “When I first discovered Tim’s music, it was with this record, and I’ve been a ‘fan-fini’ since. It resonated deeply with my artistic sensibilities. His uncompromising approach to his entire body of work is a constant source of inspiration, but this particular album delves into deeper levels of dynamic interplay and three-dimensional audio capture than any of his others. These qualities became major points of reference for us while recording Angell & Crane.

“Over six days, we worked in three different studios: two in Montreal (Studio HQ and Skybarn Studio) with Pietro Amato, who has in fact collaborated with Tim on film scores and also mixed our LP, and a third session in upstate New York at People Teeth Studio with Nick Principe (Cowboy Sadness, Bing & Ruth). During these sessions we amassed over 40 hours of improvisations, capturing the music with as many mics as we had lines at our disposal. Close mics, room mics, mics behind closed doors, mics in stairwells 25 feet from any audio source. You get the picture. We did this in order to give ourselves as many opportunities in the mixing sessions as possible to achieve the dynamism and three-dimensional audio imagining that, to me, define the masterful artistry of Virgins, an album I always return to, regardless of the musical context.”

4. Can – Tago Mago (1971, United Artists)

Crane: “Jaki Liebezeit, Jaki Liebezeit, Jaki Liebezeit! His drumming is legendary, and you’ve probably heard it sampled by everyone from Busta Rhymes to A Tribe Called Quest. His grooves are the heartbeat of this album, especially in the first four tracks. Can was all about improvisation, and their bassist Holger Czukay used to cut their jams into tight, experimental pieces. Czukay and keyboardist Irmin Schmidt both studied with Karlheinz Stockhausen, and you can really hear that adventurous spirit throughout Tago Mago. A true classic.

“The krautrock aesthetic came up a lot for us during the recording process. Simon and I improvised our way through the entire album, and after a lot of editing and post-production, we found our way into the individual pieces you hear. The guests on the album, Sarah Rossy and Charlotte Greve, also influenced the tracks they were on with their strong improvisational voices. As a duo, Simon and I treated those improvisations like we were backing a band, letting them lead in a sense.”

5. John Coltrane – A Love Supreme (1965, Impulse!)

Angell: “What can I say? This might seem like a glaringly obvious choice for any jazz musician, or really, anyone with even a passing interest in jazz or improvisation. But there’s a reason why, 60 years (!) after its release, A Love Supreme is still regarded as one of the greatest jazz albums of all time, if not the greatest. (Dare I say, the greatest record in the entire canon of American music? I do dare.)

“Every time I listen to A Love Supreme (I wonder how many that is at this point?) I hear something new. For example, I just put it on right now to inspire this write-up and I swear Jimmy Garrison was playing something different in the opening piece ‘Acknowledgment’ from the last time I listened to it. But what else is there to say about this monumental work of art that has not already been expressed?

“It stands at the peak of humanity’s greatest achievements, flawless in its emotional delivery, in its perfect balance between intense forward-driving momentum and laid-backness. Not to mention the otherworldly musicianship and interplay from everyone involved. What’s the saying, Rome wasn’t built in a day? Well, on December 9th, 1964, Trane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones came pretty damn close.

“There’s no point in trying to explain how this record has influenced me or the Angell & Crane project. A Love Supreme is simply a timeless touchstone, always present, at least spiritually, in everything I do.”

Angell & Crane ‘Angell & Crane’ album artwork

6. Steve Lacy & Don Cherry – Evidence (1962, New Jazz)

Crane: “I first heard Evidence while studying jazz at The New School in the early 2000s. Billy Higgins is on drums, and as a drummer myself, I’m always drawn to players who hold down the groove without dominating the space. Higgins is a master of that. His deep pocket and sensitivity elevate the whole band. This session is pure magic, and I come back to it often when I need some creative inspiration.

“This album is a bit of a DNA piece for me. I absorbed it so much that I hope its spirit comes through in our work. Simon also has some recordings that did a similar thing for him; he’s mentioned Tim Hecker, which I hear in the dreamy and complex soundscapes he creates with pedals and loops. When we were workshopping ideas before recording, we often landed on these almost swinging drum parts against the thick soundscapes Simon would create. You can hear that on various tracks in a non-swing way. Maybe we’ll release some B-sides? There’s definitely more material in the can!”