The Canadian group Arcade Fire is increasingly becoming a pool for talented musicians who also make special music alongside their employer. After Will Butler, that band name is also frequently used to draw attention to the duo album of reed player Colin Stetson and violinist Sarah Neufeld. Arcade Fire fans will not always be able to please this instrumental disc. The mysteriously titled Never Were
… The Way She Was rather appeals to minimal music in the traditions of Steve Reich and Terry Riley. Stetson and Neufeld recorded it live together in a studio, which further emphasizes that the duo is very well matched. In toil, repetitive and pulsating sounds, they float each other up high and sometimes seem to be looking for outbreaks - together or individually. It makes Never Were The Way She Was, in all its minimalism, an extremely powerful, raw and physical album. (MR)more
