New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges is a jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 album by musician/multi-reedist

Reed (instrument)

A reed is a thin strip of material which vibrates to produce a sound on a musical instrument. The reeds of most Woodwind instruments are made from Arundo donax or synthetic material; tuned reeds are made of metal or synthetics.-Single reeds:Single reeds are used on the mouthpieces of clarinets...

 Colin Stetson

Colin Stetson

Colin Stetson, born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and currently based in Montreal, Quebec, is a bass saxophone player and touring member of Arcade Fire, Bell Orchestre and Bon Iver...

. The album was released by Constellation Records

Constellation Records

Constellation Records is an influential Montreal, Quebec independent record label known for its contributions to experimental genres of music. It is most famous for releasing the albums of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, and Do Make Say...

 in 2011.

The music on New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges was captured entirely live in single takes at Montreal's Hotel2Tango

Hotel2Tango

The Hotel2Tango is a 24-track analogue recording studio situated in the Mile End district of Montreal, Quebec. The current facility is the second to bear the name, and was preceded by a similar operation in the same neighborhood until 2007 when the studio changed locations...

 studio, with no overdubs or looping, using over 20 mics positioned close and far throughout the live room. It features vocals from musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson

Laurie Anderson

Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...

 ("Judges", "A Dream of Water", "Red Horse (Judges II)", and "Fear of the unknown and the blazing sun"), and lead-singer of My Brightest Diamond

My Brightest Diamond

My Brightest Diamond is the project of singer–songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Shara Worden. The band has released two studio albums, 2006's Bring Me the Workhorse and 2008's A Thousand Shark's Teeth, along with a remix album Tear It Down and a download-only release through iTunes...

, Shara Worden

Shara Worden

Shara Worden is the lead singer and songwriter for My Brightest Diamond. She was previously a backup vocalist for Sufjan Stevens and the frontwoman of Awry.-Life:...

 ("Lord I just can't keep from crying sometimes" and "Fear of the unknown and the blazing sun").

On June 16, the album was named as a longlisted nominee (one of 40) for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize

2011 Polaris Music Prize

The 2011 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 19, 2011. The winner was Arcade Fire, for the album The Suburbs.For the 2011 award, the prize was increased to $30,000 for the winning musician.-Shortlist:...

. On July 6, the album was named as a shortlisted (one of 10) nominee for the 2011 award.

Track listing

1. "Awake on Foreign Shores"  –1:30
2. "Judges"  – 5:13
3. "The Stars in His Head [Dark Lights Remix] Bell Orchestre"  – 5:30
4. "All the Days I've Missed You (ILAIJ I)"  – 1:15
5. "From No Part of Me Could I Summon a Voice"  – 2:15
6. "A Dream of Water"  – 3:35
7. "Home"  – 3:12
8. "Lord I Just Can't Keep from Crying Sometimes"  – 4:49
9. "Clothed in the Skin of the Dead"  – 3:40
10. "All the Colors Bleached to White (ILAIJ II)"  – 0:36
11. "Red Horse (Judges ll)"  – 2:57
12. "The Righteous Wrath of an Honorable Man"  – 2:27
13. "Fear of the Unknown and the Blazing Sun"  – 2:42
14. "In Love and in Justice"  – 4:53