Leaf Metal (studio album) by Adam Roberts

Leaf Metal contains five piece (all composed by American composer Adam Roberts) performed (in order of appearance) by the Arditti Quartet (who are something of a big deal in the Modern Classical world, having given world premiers of pieces from some of contemporary classical music's most eminent composers), French conductor Lorraine Vaillancour conducting the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (of which she is founder and artistic director), multi-instrumentalist Gabriela Diaz (who happens to be violinist on this particular recording), the Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble, and Cellist Benjamin Schwartz. The album opens with the only thing predictable about this particular school of composition, which is, essentially, unpredictability. Tangled symmetries burns through a cycle of "didn't see that coming" bursts of dissonance (landing on a cadence right when you think they're about to peak at some kind of free improv jam), somewhat reminiscent of Penderecki circa "Threnody For the Victims of Hiroshima" only less direct, more aggressive, and less downright terrifying. Tangled Symmetries is probably the most abrasive piece on the album, so if you've made it this far, congratulations, chances are you'll like what comes ahead. My particular favorite being Strange Loops, which is more or less what it sounds like; the dissonance and atonality are still there, but they act as part of a cycle that moves into an actual straightforward melody (ironically the only thing I didn't see coming at this point) underneath which, Roberts, taking cues from the likes of Xenakis and Varèse, develops a series of understated electronic tones and tape loops (everything from what sounds like compressed air being intermittently released from a chamber to what sounds more like a syncopated bike chain) that guide the piece for most of its 11 minute duration as it teeters back and forth between harmony and chaos. (The rest of the album is fantastic as well but I'm lazy)