The beautifully designed digital collages that adorn this release, each reworking elements of 1920s posters advertising American national parks, apparently inspired musical outlines for the eight pieces here. Postmarks are the pianist D Bayne and the saxophonist Boris Hauf, who on this, their second album, are joined in places by the Viennese guitar experimentalist Martin Siwert. On the whole these are slow, moodily beautiful piano and sax improvisations, with Bayne’s forthright, oftener minimally repetitive piano providing a framework over which Hauf drifts smoky, semi-melodic lines. Siewert’s contributions are few and far between, but add an abstract electronic coloring that does just enough to keep the album, away form middle ground jazziness. Difficult to firmly categorizes, National Parks often veers close to tuneful politeness but retains an atonal edge throughout that undermines everything and provides a nervous and intriguing quality to the music.
– The Wire
Blow Up
Boris Hauf (saxophones) and D Bayne (piano) are Postmarks – assisted here by guitarist Marin Siewert who superimposes a layer of static electricity in intimate dialogue with the acoustic instruments. Inspired by America’s national parks and the way in which they were represented on postcards of the 30s, the album is full of lyrical passages that enhance a sound material organized with rigor and intelligence. (7)
– M. Busti, Blow Up
monsieur delire (Francois Couture)
Second CD from Postmarks – pianist D Bayne and sax player Boris Hauf (ex-Efzeg, among other projects) – with guest Martin Siewert on guitar and electronics. Delicate, thoughtful, quiet improvisations (they were in part pre-planned from what I understand), rich in abstraction. From time to time, an electronic tone cuts through, allowing the listener to refocus his attention, which tends to start wandering during this record. Not entirely convincing, but an interesting release.
–monsieurdelire
Le son de grisli
They are inspired by maps Americans national parks published in the 1930s and 1940s – to each his scores – saxophonist Boris Hauf and pianist D Bayne made ​​the trip to Vienna for Martin Siewert recorded their project – the Austrian may also intervene on guitar or electronics. A slow saxophone, timid and defeats piano notes and feedback Tension: So much for the opening ballad disgrace what Bandelier National, which does not communicate its nonchalance parts which follow. Is that the pianist has decided otherwise: borrowed, that he abuses Accessories interventions, arpeggios harped or leaks without ideas. And as Hauf follows suit while Siewert is not far from silent, we are eager to finish.
Le son de grisli (Guillaume Belhomme)