BONNER KRAMER – “WHISPERS FOR THE DEAD”
A SPILL EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE
Legendary producer, multi-instrumentalist, and avant-garde pioneer Kramer (Galaxie 500, Low, Daniel Johnston) returns with his first solo album in five years, …and the crimson moon whispers goodbye, out December 12th via Shimmy-Disc.
As the final installment of the minimalist instrumental drone-poem project, Kramer is sharing focus track, “Whispers for the Dead.” The track follows lead single, “Whispers for the Damned,” a meditative and cinematic piece tinged with unease, and “Whisper’s for the Living,” an ethereal, orchestral, and equally hypnotic composition.
“Whispers for the Dead,” is paired with Kramer’s signature ambient-cinema—a storytelling device used throughout his work to deepen the thematic world of each project. Beginning with footage drenched in red, a color that seems central to the LP’s world, the visuals and sound are at first dark and menacing, later drifting into a calmer and ethereal drone, complimented with snow falling and people dancing.
The themes of the LP, however, are ultimately left to the listener. As Kramer recently told Chorus.fm, “If there is no mystery to decipher, and no place in which the listener can gather themselves and find a place of their own in which the music can be born-again inside of them, the experience is a useless one.”
A veteran of NYC’s late-’70s downtown experimental music scene and recent projects like the sound-art supergroup Squanderers and the Gregory Corso reissue, Kramer continues his journey into minimalist ambient composition. Departing from lyrics and language, the new LP is a four-part drone-poem for The Living and The Dead, rooted in deep listening and subconscious exploration.
The album also includes 48 minutes of bonus material—a live recording of “Music for Pianos & Sunflowers” from Big Ears 2025, featuring acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily.
Kramer’s last solo works—And The Wind Blew It All Away, Music For Films Edited By Moths, and Music For Pianos & Sunflowers—were released as part of his 2020 Artist In Residence box set via Joyful Noise Recordings. His return with …and the crimson moon whispers goodbye marks a new chapter in his ongoing search for sonic transcendence.
Reflecting on the project’s intent, Kramer adds: “56 million people die every year… This music, and this entire LP, is for them.”
“Whispers for the Dead” and …and the crimson moon whispers goodbye are out now via Shimmy-Disc.
Bonner Kramer
….and the crimson moon whispers goodbye
(Shimmy-Disc)
Release Date: December 12, 2025
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