Wrack: …Awaits Silent Tristero’s ...
“…Wrack is currently supporting what might be its greatest achievement: . . .a four-part suite inspired by the novels of Thomas Pynchon. Bruckmann embeds fast-flying tropes and melodies from classic jazz in his shape-shifting compositions—a kind of nod to Pynchon’s referential gamesmanship—and Wrack negotiates the tricky tunes with its usual breathless precision, adding a satisfyingly off-kilter swing and infectious sense of fun that I’ve never heard from the ensemble before.” (Chicago Reader)
Technological Music Vol. 1 (2013) Entr’...
“. . . So if we read Technological Music as impressive mimicry or as high-level homage, either way we have to stop and ask: What’s the point? Haven’t we already hashed out this debate? . . . Bruckmann’s achievement is more than a stunt. It’s not just a love letter or a piss-take. . .” (Dusted Magazine)
Two Electronic Ephemera for Fidelity-Constrai...
“. . . unusually harsh outliers . . . oddly stuck in time, channeling a panicked late-Bush era Zeitgeist (the aetheric intrusions transmitted through my Z-vex pedal are, if I’m not mistaken, the ravings of a radio shock jock regarding Fidel Castro’s stepping down).” Lathe-cut 7″, ltd edition of 30.
On Procedural Grounds (2012) New World
“Any attempt to pin down Bay area musician Kyle Bruckmann is a study in futility. Here’s someone who jumps from collective improvisation to the skronk-rock of the group Lozenge to jagged compositional forms for improvisation with his group Wrack to electro-acoustic explorations with his duo EKG . . . ‘On Procedural Ground’ is a great place to hear how all of this comes together.” (Point of Departure)
Wrack: Cracked Refraction (2012) Porter
“The onetime Chicagoan started Wrack as a jazz-oriented project, but over time he’s come to focus more and more on jagged themes, unwieldy time signatures, and tricky pinpoint interplay (a la Anthony Braxton), all played with the postpunk energy of his old band Lozenge . . . Drummer Tim Daisy and bassist Anton Hatwich make for a whirlwind rhythm section, and when they buckle down and play hard they sometimes seem to splinter the front line with their momentum as they signal the rapid-fire shifts in Bruckmann’s knotty, episodic compositions.” (Chicago Reader)