A Whisper In The Noise

Influenced by a range spanning Bob Dylan and Roger Waters to Philip Glass and Arvo Pärt, A Whisper in the Noise came together in Minneapolis during 2002 under the direction of West Dylan Thordson. He had spent his early years on expansive farmland outside the tiny rural Minnesota settlement of Hanska, whose population stood at 365. Later, as an adult, Thordson took up residence inside the disused elementary school he had attended as a child, writing music in its former music room and roaming the vacant corridors after nightfall.

That pervasive mood of solitude and isolation shapes the brooding, atmospheric textures the group creates with Sonja Larson on vocals and violin, Rachel Drehmann on french horn, Andrew Broste on bass, and Nicholas Conner on drums and percussion. Within twelve months of forming, the band issued its debut album, Through the Ides of March, captured across two days and produced by the storied Steve Albini, who then arranged European dates with the band supporting Shellac. The record invited comparisons to art-rock ensembles such as Sigur Rós and Mogwai—the latter of which A Whisper in the Noise would eventually join on a U.K. tour—and earned the group a performance slot at the European festival All Tomorrow’s Parties.

On the follow-up, As the Bluebird Sings, the ensemble pushed its experimental palette further while including a version of Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin’.” Produced by Tom Herbers, whose credits include Low, Soul Asylum, the Jayhawks, and Victoria Williams, the album appeared in spring 2006.