For his House Music Series video, guitarist, producer, and Wye Oak-member Ben Cassorla shows his process of splicing together snippets of ideas into a song. “An Accident” begins with a rapid-fire series of short clips showing a ProTools session, mini piano melodies, an amplifier—the pieces of the puzzle that, when combined, make one of his tracks come to life. Then, we hear the final product, a catchy tune that he meshed together over the summer from these previously disparate sources.
Cassorla began working with Metropolis Ensemble a couple of years ago on their recording of William Britelle’s Spiritual America (and accompanying album release concert at Symphony Space). They took Spiritual America together to the Hollywood Bowl in 2018—Metropolis Ensemble’s first performance at the massive venue—where they opened for indie folk superstar Bon Iver, and then onto Cork, Ireland’s international Sounds from A Safe Harbour music festival, where Cassorla remembers the joy of the group participating in the, shall we say, Irish conviviality of the city-wide festival.
“An Accident” is a glimpse into his writing process, showing us the ways he unites his ideas into one, cohesive work. This is a brand new song, premiering for the first time here on the internet. It’s a playful and upbeat track, the kind of music made for dancing and the kind of whiplash video that catches your eye at every turn. In the end, the beauty of “An Accident” stems from its ability to break down the details of making a piece of music in an infectious and memorable way. — Vanessa Ague
Episode: 65Date: November 12, 2020Artist: Ben CassorlaInstrumentation: Multi-InstrumentWork: "An Accident"Composer: Ben CassorlaMore from House Music