Collections of Colonies of Bees - Biography
Collections of Colonies of Bees is one of those bands that has slowly amassed its identity over the course of five or six years and a handful of releases. Developing from a duo’s side project to a hard working, full time five piece, the band has shifted in style from a quiet, experimental acoustic sound to full-bore instrumental rock. With its last proper full-length Collections of Colonies of Bees have solidified a huge sound that incorporates elements of post-rock, new wave, classic minimalism, ambient electronics and post-hardcore. The results are totally hypnotic with swirling, dynamic and compelling song structures on record and a fierce live show to back it up. With a new full-length on the horizon and a recent collaboration with Bon Iver in the bag, this band is hitting its stride as we speak.
Chris Rosenau and Jon Mueller formed Collections of Colonies of Bees in 1998 as a side project to their then-current full time band Pele. Pele worked a kind of jazzy post-rock turf and Rosenau and Mueller set out to explore some quieter angles with this new project. Originally setting to work on an idea to combine traditional folk instrumentation with digital processing, the duo released a self-titled album in the UK on the small The Rosewood Union label. It was the first release in a series of experimental records the duo would release over the next several years. The band’s early work yields a constantly shifting approach but the records are linked together by Rosenau’s complex guitar parts and Mueller’s inventive use of percussion and electronics.
Around the time of CoCoB’s inception Mueller and Rosenau also formed the Crouton label as an outlet for their various projects. The label has since become one of the most well curated experimental music outlets in the States featuring daring work by Jason Kahn, The Hafler Trio, Richard Chartier, Lionel Marchetti and Daniel Menche. Following CoCoB’s debut UK release, the duo issued three records on Crouton between 2000 and 2003. Rance explores a kind of subtle electroacoustic folk while the obtusely titled fa. ce (a from ’02 explores drifting, glitchy electronic ambience. 2003’s Meyou is a highlight from CoCoB’s early period. The record creates a perfectly sealed alien world with wild, vividly processed electronics, vocals and pedal steel guitar. It’s truly an amazing slice of experimental Americana that sounds like not much else around.
In 2003 the band signed with Polyvinyl Records, Pele’s home label, and recruited Jim Schoenecker to join the fold. This brought the release of Customer in ’04. Still working loosely with the idea of acoustic instrumentation meets electronic processing, the music melds fractured post-rock structures with electronic minimalism, sound collage and propulsive rhythms.
In ’04 Pele called it quits. Taking a short break to focus on how CoCoB should proceed, the group decided to add Thomas Wincek and Daniel Spack in ‘06 to flesh out the lineup. This newly minted quintet rehearsed and performed live frequently, quickly gaining a reputation for its powerful show. Shifting away from its early, quiet experiments, the full band version of CoCoB combines Mueller’s powerhouse drumming with thick layers of guitar, keyboards and electronics for a mesmerizing take on the wall of sound minimalism of musicians like Rhys Chatham, Glenn Branca and Arnold Dreyblatt.
This stylistic shift was perfectly captured on ‘08’s Birds: (I-IV: Flocks). Aptly the record was released on Table of the Elements. The label is home to the raw power of American minimalist composers like Chatham and Tony Conrad, so CoCoB’s new merger of fractured post-rock and shimmering electronics with massive minimalist sonics and locked-in grooves makes for a perfect fit. The record flows with the organic dynamics of a single long-form piece. Blending the structures and melodies of the members’ post-rock roots with this huge, layered sound proved utterly hypnotic and won the record some very well deserved attention. The band toured extensively after its release.
Later that year the band contributed to Table of the Elements legendary Guitar Series with Six Guitars. Released as a single sided clear vinyl 12” with etched artwork on the flip, the 13-minute piece is a study of gorgeous, slow burning guitar drone.
In 2009 the group joined forces with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon to form Volcano Choir. The band released the stunning Unmap on Jagjaguwar in ’09. Aesthetically linked to CoCoB’s sound more than Bon Iver’s quiet folk, the album features Vernon’s hushed, haunted vocals perfectly merged with CoCoB’s ambient post-rock minimalism. Songs like “Seeplymouth,” “Dote” and “Still” work a certain magic as Vernon’s emotive vocals skirt around the band’s drifting, innovative arrangements.
Through a willingness to experiment Collections of Colonies of Bees have arrived at a unique sound. Birds and the band’s collaboration with Bon Iver mark CoCoB’s finest work to date. While all the band’s members remain active with other projects, it’s this work ethic and broad range of influences that make CoCoB’s music so engrossing and original. The group’s development has been fascinating to follow. Whatever its next move is, it’s sure to be well worth watching.
