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"... perhaps that band’s most toned-down effort, Black solidifies his standing as one of the most distinctive lyrical voices on the cutting-edge scene ... a notable development for an artist whose early reputation derived from his loose-limbed percussive power ... a seamless, unified sound ... more than a collection of tracks, Antiheroes comes off like a single work, reflective and powerfully spare." - JazzTimes.com New York City-based drummer Jim Black made his debut as bandleader in 2000 with his quartet AlasNoAxis, featuring electric guitarist Hilmar Jensson, Chris Speed on tenor sax and clarinet and electric bassist Skúli Sverrisson. Their highly acclaimed 2013 release Antiheroes, the group's sixth album, was recorded in a small town outside of Reykjavík and mixed by veteran producer and engineer Ron Saint Germain (Michael Jackson, U2, Diana Ross, Soundgarden, Ornette Coleman). "I wanted to create a miniature or a reduction of what happens when we perform a live concert ... I was looking for more of a through-composed experience, one that didn't cycle back on itself constantly but something that would take the listener from a starting place, only move forward and never return back to the beginning ... the music was written from May through August of 2012. This was by far the best summer of my life ... the music became a sort of sonic journal, as well as a soundtrack for the mind in my journeys. So many people and places, combined with the interludes of solitude at home, were total inspiration ... Antiheroes refers to the characters/creatures/objects in a situation that will end up surviving through, succeeding in and hopefully, bettering life no matter what the cost." - Jim Black