Pitchfork

Legendary no-wave rocker, microtonal guitarist, and key Sonic Youth influence Glenn Branca's 1981 masterpiece, The Ascension-- by which we mean the only masterpiece he released in 1981; he's got others-- is finally being released to a curious public on CD courtesy of Acute Records this spring, after years of being available on vinyl through 99 Records and the obscure Italian label NewTone Records.

Now, before we go any further, let us assure you that, yes, this disc almost made our Top 100 Albums of the 1980s, and would have even ranked pretty high if it weren't for those meddling import prices (full disclosure: not all of us had heard it). If you haven't heard this record, you'd do well to check out this edition when it finally drops.

The album's lineup includes guitarists Ned Sublette (also renowned for his work with John Cage and La Monte Young), David Rosenbloom (most noted for his collaborations with Terry Riley), and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, plus bassist Jeffrey Glenn, and drummer Stephan Wischerth. Suffice it to say that what Branca does is not exactly rock music, but it rocks nonetheless. A riddle unto itself! Tracklist:

01 Lesson No. 2
02 The Spectacular Commodity
03 Structure
04 Light Field (In Consonance)
05 The Ascension

As for opportunities to see Branca play live, the Glenn Branca Quartet (currently two guitars, a bass and drumkit) will be performing at the I.D.E.A.L. Festival in Nances, France on March 21st. A small, dates-yet-unconfirmed European tour from March 22 to April 6 will follow.