White Wilderness promises a new kind of magic from the pop perfectionist known for submitting tracks to endless tweaking in his San Francisco studio, Tiny Telephone. John Vanderslice teamed with 19 members of the Bay Area’s Magik*Magik Orchestra, directed by Minna Choi, to record this entire album live in just three days. Choi’s orchestral arrangements are brisk but warmly enveloping, an intoxicating backdrop to Vanderslice’s compelling, sincere songwriting. The onus of producing the album was handed over to John Congleton.
The Magik*Magik Orchestra have a comprehensive mastery of classic performance and repertoire, but also have a full appreciation of the aesthetics of indie and underground music. Choi arranged and conducted White Wilderness with 19 members of the Magik*Magik playing strings and horns, vibraphone, pedal steel and piano, an assortment of reed instruments, and much to JV’s benefit, the voice of Minna Choi singing backup at key moments throughout the album. Recorded in San Francisco, White Wilderness was produced by John Congleton, whose resume includes albums by St Vincent, The Walkmen, Explosions in the Sky, Bill Callahan and many more.
