The Westerlies – “New Berlin, New York”
![](https://static.stereogum.com/uploads/2016/09/The-Westerlies-Album-Cover-FULL-1000x899.jpg)
A few weeks back we shared “Saro,” a lovely ballad by genre-agnostic brass quartet the Westerlies arranged by Nico Muhly and Sam Amidon. Today the band is back with another fascinating exercise in traditional revision, an original composition called “New Berlin, New York.”
Trombonist Andy Clausen wrote the music after seeing a striking photo of a barn in upstate New York. Originally it was composed for a multimedia project called SHUTTER and featured two guitars, cello, trumpet, and trombone, but the Westerlies have transformed it into an all-brass rave-up. In contrast to the sentimental drama of “Saro,” this one is breathlessly frantic, a rapid dance of melodies that will have your heart racing and your body tapping along. Listen below.
The Westerlies is out 10/7 on Songlines. Pre-order it here.