Droppin’ Knowledge: Standing On The Corner Release New Single: Angel

The Standing On The Corner Art Ensemble has released its first new music under that moniker since 2017’s Red Burns, a single entitled Angel (Life and Death of the Earth in the Key of F). The accompanying video stars pioneering director and musician Melvin Van Peebles as an astronaut floating in space, perhaps inured to the problems of earth below. Towards the end of the video, however, the camera closes in on Van Peebles’ helmeted face and there is anguish in his eyes, evidence of the collective trauma continuing beneath him. The group, led by Gio Escobar, is notable for the quirky, ramshackle music they’ve created, which is rooted in jazz, world music and hip hop and finds inspiration from Sun Ra, among other artists. The shambolic vocals and free jazz sounds played by trumpet and saxophone are mixed with woozy guitar lines, trippy vocals and other unsettling sounds. The result is a work that is melancholy and atmospheric. The Crown Heights, Brooklyn ensemble released its highly regarded self-titled LP in 2016 and has worked with other artists, including MIKE, Medslaus, Solange and Earl Sweatshirt. Rapper and musician Caleb Giles is a member of the group, which has also included Nate Cox, Jasper Marsalis, guitarist Lila Ramani, of the band Crumb, and Jack Nolan. The video was directed by Gabriel Rodriguez-Fuller. On their Bandcamp page, the collective promises more new music this year. Check it!