Winged Wheel - Big Hotel

Moving away from the remote methods of their debut, Winged Wheel convened in person in Kingston, NY, to track their sophomore effort, Big Hotel. The core lineup of Cory Plump, Fred Thomas, Whitney Johnson, and Matthew J. Rolin expanded to include Lonnie Slack and the legendary Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth. The result is a visceral, evolutionary document that captures the rare energy of a far-flung collective finally occupying the same room. By editing hours of group improvisations into "three-minute ragers" and infinite loops, the band has crafted a record that echoes the adventurous, spliced aesthetics of Can, Faust, and the modern experimentalism of the International Anthem camp.

The album is a vast arc of "ambiguous construction," balancing moments of "lush terror" with "aerial coolness." From the motorik tidepool of "Demonstrably False" to the propulsive, minimal drive of "Clean Blue Shelf," the stereo field is constantly torn apart and re-stitched. Shelley’s unmistakable rhythmic style provides a steady, powerful foundation for unexpected interplay, allowing tracks like "Sleeptraining" and "Short Acting" to gather mass and intensity until they explode. It is a dense, high-contrast experience that proves the whole is far greater than the sum of its formidable parts.