PUNCH BROTHERS

Chris Thile’s boundary-breaking crew shakes itself to see what’s inside

If bands were in the habit of adopting stretches of highway, Punch Brothers would probably choose one that was all left turns. The hot-picking bluegrass-classical-jazz ensemble’s sophomore album, Antifogmatic, is full of melodic and rhythmic twists that defy convention at every chance. “Musical expression is by nature abstract,” explains mandolin player and lead vocalist Chris Thile, who established his reputation in the more traditional trio Nickel Creek. “It’s a fragile tonality that Punch Brothers employ. I love giving people something that seems very stable, and then whipping the rug out from underneath them. I hope the record is a little bit of a choose-your-own-adventure.”

Whereas the New York City-based quintet’s 2008 debut, Punch, was built around Thile’s extended suite “The Blind Leaving the Blind,” the new album is a decidedly collective effort written by the band—which also includes banjo player Noam Pikelny, guitarist Chris Eldridge, bass player Paul Kowert and violinist Gabe Witcher. “The music is very collaborative,” says Pikelny. “We all love songs that really take you from Point A to Point B. We were very much there for feedback for each other to be able to try a million ideas. You have five guys who were willing to try anything.”

As a result, Antifogmatic is a far cry from the members’ previous bands—which might throw off some old Nickel Creek fans. “I think it has been frustrating for us as a band to deal with the ‘Chris Thile of Nickel Creek’ thing,” says Thile. “I wanted collaborators. I wanted guys who are completely invested artistically.” One listen to Antifogmatic bears out that approach. Traditional bluegrass swerves suddenly into chamber-quintet passages, wanders into rich stacked jazz harmonies or settles into improvisational grooves that spotlight the group’s crackerjack session-player chops and wide-ranging influences. “We’re fanatical about Bartok, in particular Concerto for Orchestra and String Quartet No. 5,” notes Thile. “And Radiohead.”

And what of that strange title? “Antifogmatic” is a 19th-century term for a stiff drink used to ward off inclement weather. “It’s a fairly whiskey-soaked affair, overall,” says Thile of the album. “But that’s a nod to the liquid culture here in New York City. Not actually the sloppy drunk, but rather a loosening, sort of shaking yourself. It’s like the present on Christmas morning, you sort of shake it to see what’s in there—and occasionally you break things when you do that!”

–Bob Cannon