Nasser, Bilal: Every Martyr Is A Universe

The Constellation debut from Palestinian-Canadian guitarist, organiser, and harm-reduction worker Bilal Nasser draws upon his training in classical guitar and influences from punk, post-rock, and contemporary composition. Conceived during the student encampment movement protesting the Gaza genocide, Every Martyr Is A Universe emerges from the impossible question of art’s worth and meaning under such conditions, primarily recorded at Nasser's DIY space Uma Loft in Windsor, Ontario and enlisting nine musicians from this community to help render the album’s stately orchestrations, channeling a collective response of solidarity, resistance, and lament.

Nasser’s previous two albums established a distinctive and accomplished acoustic guitar technique rooted in 20th classical, Robbie Basho, and various folkways, with a sensibility informed by shoegaze, ambient electronic, and indie rock. Every Martyr Is A Universe expands on this foundation as Nasser writes for a larger ensemble for the first time. While his acoustic guitar often still anchors this new work, the music is propelled by captivating string and horn arrangements, especially on the pair of longform post-rock meets post-classical pieces that comprise the album’s first half.

Every Martyr Is A Universe also sits powerfully within Constellation’s own history and horizons, in stylistic and political conversation with label artists like Thee Silver Mt. Zion, Do Make Say Think, Esmerine, and Black Ox Orkestar. Fans of those bands — and the combination of genreblending compositional avant-gardism and accessibility, punk-inflected assertiveness and authenticity, and heart-on-sleeve emotiveness they represent — will find a compelling and complementary voice in Bilal Nasser. Thanks for listening.