Tin Hat

The Sad Machinery of Spring(Hannibal/Rykodisc)

By Jonathan Shipley
Published: February 8th, 2007 | 1:17pm

The Jewish Bruno Schulz was a novelist and painter — his writings and artwork are considered some of the greatest work by a Pole in the 20th century. His life, however, was cut short in World War II by a German officer’s bullet. Why mention all this? His life and work inspired Tin Hat’s new mesmerizing album, The Sad Machinery of Spring.

Attracted to the work of Schulz, Tin Hat (formerly Tin Hat Trio) delivers an otherworldly album grounded in the Old World but with New World chamber-music sensibilities. Not quite jazz, or folk, or classical, Tin Hat is an amalgam of instruments (among them harp, piano, clarinet, banjo, guitar, and strings) and fascinating tunes complete with surreal quirks and rich feeling.

Sad Machinery has a sense of melancholy, yet there are streaks of joy and jags of euphoria woven throughout. “Dionysus” is like a spring rain captured in musical notes; “The Tailor’s Dummy” is a quiet dance between lovers on a moonlit night. Yet there are haunting tunes like “The Book” and “Black Thursday” that can keep you awake at night thinking of your own mortality in cool, sonic dreamscapes.

Deeply original and inspired by a murdered Polish writer, Sad Machinery might not be for everyone — it’s weird, off-metered, and discordant at times, with odd instrumental pairings. It’s not as accessible as simply turning on the radio but then again, there are few on the radio like the talented Tin Hat.