High Above the Ground

BRAND NEW COLLABORATION w/ GUITARIST MARC RIBOT (TOM WAITS & ELVIS COSTELLO) 1ST PRESSING ON CLEAR VINYL w/ BLACK, WHITE & GREY SPLATTER PRODUCED BY TUCKER MARTINE José Medeles’ relationship with Marc Ribot began in the same way as so many music fanatics: as a fan. After a marathon single day session, Medeles and Ribot emerged with High Above The Ground, a stunning, breathtaking encapsulation of two musicians deeply intertwined and communicative on a psychic level. Though this record is technically a José Medeles album co-starring Marc Ribot, the drummer approached the project by imagining how his playing would work alongside the New Jersey-born songwriter. It’s something he’s thought about a lot over the years when listening to Marc’s music. While dynamism is what makes High Above The Ground a truly special record, it’s plenty fun to hear the two master musicians groove and groove, embarking on a jam session we never want to end. “There are moments on the recording where you can just hear that neither of us wants to tap out. We just kept barreling and just swinging,” Medeles explains. This philosophy is most apparent on the epic album closer “Drift,” a 10 and a half minute adventure that begins in a dark, muddy swamp before moving closer to a blues-folk hymnal. It’s spiritual in the truest sense of the word, a mighty recording of two lifelong devotees to the higher power of music finding nirvana right in front of us.