After winning a Grammy for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for their diverse self-titled debut, virtuosic a cappella octet
Roomful of Teeth returned with an equally ambitious sophomore release,
Render. Released by New Amsterdam Records in the spring of 2015, it features varied works by
William Brittelle,
Caleb Burhans, Wally Gunn,
Missy Mazzoli, and their own
Eric Dudley and
Brad Wells. Gunn's three-part The Ascendant, which is spread across the track list, features percussion accompaniment by
Jason Treuting of the experimental ensemble
So Percussion. A standout on an album of striking performances,
Mazzoli's "Vesper Sparrow" features bird call-like runs and Sardinian overtone singing-inspired voicing.