Singing in the Dead of Night

There’s no ensemble quite like Eighth Blackbird, with its astonishing dexterity on a whole range of instruments, insatiable musical curiosity and unalloyed enthusiasm and energy. The composers on this captivating album know this all too well—David Lang, Julia Wolfe and Michael Gordon are three of the most dynamic voices in contemporary music, and their riffs on Paul McCartney’s lyrics from The Beatles’ “Blackbird” are playful, manic, extraordinary musical adventures. Michael Gordon challenges Eighth Blackbird with joyful chaos, while Julia Wolfe’s intense, nervous “Singing in the Dead of Night” grows from the distant wails and restlessness of a city night. David Lang’s three-part These Broken Wings contrasts a feverish, tripping dance with a haunting “Passacaille” set against a cacophonous backdrop. Its final, pulsing, beat-driven movement is irresistible.