Biography
Wrekmeister Harmonies originated in Chicago, drawing its name from director Bela Tarr’s 2000 film, and was established by J.R. Robinson, the project’s sole unchanging participant and a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and sound artist. Over successive years the endeavor absorbed metal, drone, improvisational, and dark folk influences while drawing in dozens of prominent collaborators. Early recordings such as the 2013 album You’ve Always Meant So Much to Me unfolded as expansive, gradually unfolding conceptual statements, whereas later efforts like the 2018 release The Alone Rush adopted a leaner, more intimate approach centered on confessional songwriting and direct arrangements.
Robinson, whose installations have presented ambient works at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Pompidou Center in Paris, and the Art Center Berlin, assembled an array of Windy City musicians including David Yow, Ken Vandermark, John McEntire, and Azita Youssefi to generate the material documented on Recordings Made in Public Spaces, Vol. 1. The 2009 Atavistic package captured several live performances across both audio and video formats.
As partnerships expanded, the music shifted direction. By the time Robinson delivered his 2013 Thrill Jockey debut, You’ve Always Meant So Much to Me, a single continuous piece recorded with contributors drawn from experimental rock, free improvisation, and black metal circles, the project had already staged numerous public performances with shifting lineups. Early in 2014 the group returned to the studio to complete Then It All Came Down, an album-length work prompted by Truman Capote’s 1973 interview with Charles Manson associate Bobby Beausoleil; participants included Ryley Walker, Chanel Pease, Sanford Parker, Chris Brokaw, Bruce Lamont, and members of Indian and Leviathan. Robinson and an evolving cast performed selected dates in support of the October release.
Over the ensuing ten months Robinson again convened more than thirty musicians, among them Marissa Nadler, Alexander Hacke, Chris Brokaw, and members of Disappears, Indian, the Body, and Yakuza, utilizing multiple recording sites that included the crematorium at Chicago’s Bohemian National Cemetery. Thrill Jockey issued the resulting Night of Your Ascension in November 2015, after which Robinson undertook a limited tour with the expanded ensemble. Upon returning he immediately reconvened, this time with a reduced core of Esther Shaw on keyboards, piano, violin, and vocals alongside his own guitars and vocals. They were augmented by Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s Thierry Amar on bass and contrabass, Sophie Trudeau on piano, violin, and vocals, and Timothy Herzog on drums. The September 2016 Thrill Jockey album Light Falls drew thematic inspiration from Primo Levi’s If This Is a Man, though it does not trace the book’s narrative; a national tour preceded its release.
After personal losses, Robinson and Shaw left Chicago for Astoria, Oregon, where they began writing as a means of recovery. Joined by former Swans drummer Thor Harris and producer-engineer Martin Bisi, the pair completed The Alone Rush, issued by Thrill Jockey in April 2018 and distinguished by its most straightforward, lyric-driven character to date. The same circle, now including Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, recorded the 2020 full-length We Love to Look at the Carnage, shaped by Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations.
Robinson, whose installations have presented ambient works at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Pompidou Center in Paris, and the Art Center Berlin, assembled an array of Windy City musicians including David Yow, Ken Vandermark, John McEntire, and Azita Youssefi to generate the material documented on Recordings Made in Public Spaces, Vol. 1. The 2009 Atavistic package captured several live performances across both audio and video formats.
As partnerships expanded, the music shifted direction. By the time Robinson delivered his 2013 Thrill Jockey debut, You’ve Always Meant So Much to Me, a single continuous piece recorded with contributors drawn from experimental rock, free improvisation, and black metal circles, the project had already staged numerous public performances with shifting lineups. Early in 2014 the group returned to the studio to complete Then It All Came Down, an album-length work prompted by Truman Capote’s 1973 interview with Charles Manson associate Bobby Beausoleil; participants included Ryley Walker, Chanel Pease, Sanford Parker, Chris Brokaw, Bruce Lamont, and members of Indian and Leviathan. Robinson and an evolving cast performed selected dates in support of the October release.
Over the ensuing ten months Robinson again convened more than thirty musicians, among them Marissa Nadler, Alexander Hacke, Chris Brokaw, and members of Disappears, Indian, the Body, and Yakuza, utilizing multiple recording sites that included the crematorium at Chicago’s Bohemian National Cemetery. Thrill Jockey issued the resulting Night of Your Ascension in November 2015, after which Robinson undertook a limited tour with the expanded ensemble. Upon returning he immediately reconvened, this time with a reduced core of Esther Shaw on keyboards, piano, violin, and vocals alongside his own guitars and vocals. They were augmented by Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s Thierry Amar on bass and contrabass, Sophie Trudeau on piano, violin, and vocals, and Timothy Herzog on drums. The September 2016 Thrill Jockey album Light Falls drew thematic inspiration from Primo Levi’s If This Is a Man, though it does not trace the book’s narrative; a national tour preceded its release.
After personal losses, Robinson and Shaw left Chicago for Astoria, Oregon, where they began writing as a means of recovery. Joined by former Swans drummer Thor Harris and producer-engineer Martin Bisi, the pair completed The Alone Rush, issued by Thrill Jockey in April 2018 and distinguished by its most straightforward, lyric-driven character to date. The same circle, now including Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, recorded the 2020 full-length We Love to Look at the Carnage, shaped by Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations.
Albums
Flowers in the Spring
2025
We Love To Look at the Carnage
2020
The Alone Rush
2018
Light Falls
2016
Night of Your Ascension
2015
Then It All Came Down
2014
You've Always Meant So Much To Me
2013
Singles
