Trying to understand Eli Keszler

I was going to do what I normally do on here which is listen to a record and review it. In this case, it was Icons or to be exact IconsPlus which includes two bonus tracks.

Listen to it here: https://elikeszler.bandcamp.com/album/icons-2

Pitchfork already reviewed it. Often, if a record already has mainstream press (if that’s a fair way to describe Pitchfork) I leave it alone. Not out of snobbery but just because primarily I’m interested in making this blog a resource for people looking for good interesting music that’s available for free streaming that they probably would’ve missed otherwise. If you’re digging into this blog, and you’re not actually the artist being reviewed, you probably already scour the more popular resources. I’ve read people who try to bag on Pitchfork. Personally, I think they’re great critics and I discover loads of music there myself. I think they’re too stingy with their numerical ratings but that’s what gives the high numbers meaning. Like with Icons they give it 7.5/10 but I’d go with a clear 5/5 rating here. To me, when you have a great record like this it’s sort of like a blowjob. I’m not going to be like well it coulda been better. I mean geez. On the other hand I cheat by using a score of “World Treasure” or “Beyond Ratings” which is the weighted beyond 4.0 GPA let me put in this perspective system I use. Keszler is already approaching that level to be honest. I think he’s the greatest percussionist of the last 15 years. I’m actually surprised I haven’t read anyone else just come right and say it. He’s the hottest drummer on the scene.

I don’t much about Boston except that I’d love to have money and live there. Keszler is from a mostly white Boston suburb called Brookline that has a lot of residents with Ph.D’s, (wiki says “doctoral degree holders” so I guess it’s MD and law degrees as well) probably from the high society schools in the area. I found one source that says he was 29 in 13, so you can do the math for whatever that’s worth.

He went to the New England Conservatory of Music, which is prestigious as fuck. Dave Holland went there. Berklee is also in Boston, btw. Keszler lives in NYC, now. I don’t know if he’s in Manhattan or helping to completely gentrify Brooklyn.

Assuming, his avant-garde ways aren’t going to throw you off, and if you’re reading this I doubt they will, probably the best place to start with Keszler is Cold Pin. It’s currently posted up on YouTube.

Ithaca by Joe Mcphee/Eli Keszler is also essential. Listen to it here: https://elikeszler.bandcamp.com/album/ithaca

Then there’s Alps “Oren Ambarchi – guitar and bowed cymbals
Eli Keszler – drums, percussion, bowed cymbals, crotales, spring harp” which is brilliant beyond whatever words I have. Listen to it here: https://elikeszler.bandcamp.com/album/alps

Then there’s Stadium, which I think is probably his most successful and his most accessible. It’s easily a 5/5 or even beyond by my measurements. It’s gorgeous. Listen to it here: https://elikeszler.bandcamp.com/album/stadium

Well, that’s about all I got. Get listening!