The Staves announce collaboration album with yMusic

English trio The Staves will release The Way Is Read, a twelve-song album also featuring New York City–based ensemble yMusic.

The album will be available digitally on November 24, 2017 and on limited-edition vinyl on December 1. After being commissioned in 2016 by Justin Vernon’s Eaux Claires Festival to collaborate on a live performance piece, The Staves delved deep into yMusic’s catalogue of contemporary classical compositions to find pieces suited to their lyrics and vocals. The LP was produced by Rob Moose (Jon Legend, Bon Iver, Arcade Fire) and Jessica Staveley-Taylor and mixed and engineered by Brian Joseph (Bon Iver,The Fray) at his studio in Wisconsin.

Emily Staveley-Taylor says of the collaboration, ‘Our aim from the outset was to truly collaborate with yMusic. We wanted to feel like instruments and join in with some of yMusic’s existing work, using our voices in ways we hadn’t previously explored. The idea of forming an orchestra with these incredible musicians was fascinating. What we have ended up with is everything we’d hoped, more than we dreamed, and hopefully the tip of the iceberg.’

Rob Moose of yMusic adds, ‘When Justin raised the possibility of our groups collaborating, we immediately upped the stakes by focusing on a combination of new Staves songs and transformations of yMusic's composed works. It was as much a thrill to hear songs emerge organically over sections of intricate chamber music as it was satisfying to strip songs of the instrument that created them, whether guitar or piano, in order to craft new connective tissue.’

The Staves will be heading to New Zealand to play Auckland City Limits on March 3, 2018 – click HERE for more information.