Quiet City

Quiet City is the fourth album from Mark Nelson's Pan-American project and combines the computer-centric approach of "The River Made No Sound" with the organic instrumentation that marked Nelson's work in Labradford and the first two Pan-American albums. Three of the eight tracks were recorded with Charles Kim (Sinister Luck Ensemble) and feature upright bass, drums, trumpet and flugelhorn. Nelson even sings a bit. The rippling electronics and muffled beats of the first three Pan-American albums are still there; distended into elegiac, resonant, wavering, and ambient song craft. The CD edition of "Quiet City" comes with a DVD that contains a video essay shot and edited by Mark Nelson and Chicago visual artist Annie Feldmeier.