Capillary Action

Equal parts samba school density and Beefheartian primitivism; pure pop bliss and chamber ensemble precision, Capillary Action are an American musical ensemble that cannibalize a wide variety of sources to synthesize a cubist, confrontational take on classic pop forms. Led by composer/singer/guitarist Jonathan Pfeffer, Capillary Action’s music is typified by its frenetic pace, dense harmonies, broad dynamics, elastic rhythmic interplay, and confessional tone. Far from pastiche or collage, central to Pfeffer’s modus operandi is the challenge of eliminating the distinctions between chaos and clarity, art and pop, consonance and dissonance to communicate complex, ambiguous, and extremely personal experiences through song.

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Since 2005, Capillary Action have maintained a staunch DIY approach to its operation, releasing music on its own Natural Selection imprint and sharing stages far and wide alongside Beirut, Dirty Projectors, Rhys Chatham, Shudder to Think, and Les Claypool, among others. In March 2011, Capillary Action’s long-awaited sophomore album Capsized will be released on the group’s own Natural Selection imprint. Capillary Action still traffic in the overwhelming moments that have become its bread and butter—the sugar rush of an unexpected timbre, the exhilaration of a heart-stopping chord change, the brain freeze of a disassembled rhythm, the toxic shock of the lyric that plunges deeper into the psyche than one should safely tread—but this second time around, the attack is more nuanced, the ‘border crossing’ more seamless, and the songs exponentially sophisticated.