Downtown Castles Can Never Block The Sun (IA11 Edition), by Ben LaMar Gay

Downtown Castles Can Never Block The Sun (IA11 Edition)

by Ben LaMar Gay

supported by

	Vitus Labrusca 00:00 / 00:32

Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Classic Black 140g LP inside a heavyweight jacket with 4-page insert booklet (new for IA11, with additional photos and new liner notes written by Gira Dahnee), IARC 2025 obi strip and printed poly-lined printed inner-sleeve. Pressed at Pallas in Germany, with new lacquers cut by Daniel K at SST.

** Ships from US, EU, & UK ***

Includes digital pre-order of Downtown Castles Can Never Block The Sun (IA11 Edition). You get 20 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.
Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.

shipping out on or around March 28, 2025

Purchasable with gift card

$23 USD or more
All 3x IA11 Edition LPs in Drop #1, with a bundle-exclusive discount of 5% off the LP prices + discounted shipping cost.

IARC0001LP11 Rob Mazurek - Alternate Moon Cycles (IA11 Edition)
IARC0003LP11 Makaya McCraven - In The Moment (IA11 Edition)
IARC0017LP11 Ben LaMar Gay - Downtown Castles Can Never Block The Sun (IA11 Edition)

Bundles ship from our warehouses in the US, EU and UK, but don't sleep.. the quantity available in each warehouse is limited! Early purchase is recommended to ensure the lowest possible shipping, tax, and VAT costs.

Shipping in a single parcel around 3/21/25, Bandcamp downloads will be sent via email for all the releases by, or before, the ship date.

shipping out on or around March 28, 2025

Purchasable with gift card

$69 USD
Streaming + Download

Pre-order of Downtown Castles Can Never Block The Sun (IA11 Edition). You get 20 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.

Purchasable with gift card

Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.

releases March 28, 2025

$9.99 USD or more

1.	Vitus Labrusca 00:32	buy track
2.	Muhal 03:43	buy track
3.	Music For 18 Hairdressers: Braids & Fractals 02:25	buy track
4.	Jubilee 03:22	buy track
5.	A Seasoning Called Primavera 03:51	buy track
6.	Miss Nealie Burns 02:48	buy track
7.	Me, JayVe & The Big Bee 01:45	buy track
8.	Uvas 04:19	buy track
9.	Galveston 03:46	buy track
10.	Swim Swim 03:22	buy track
11.	Kunni 03:47	buy track
12.	Melhor Que Tem 03:28	buy track
13.	Gator Teeth 01:23	buy track
14.	7th Stanza 00:56	buy track
15.	Oh no...not again! 04:53	buy track
16.	For Marcelo Yuka 02:04	buy track
17.	Wine and Lemon Soda 02:11	buy track
18.	Carousel 03:08	buy track
19.	Super Science 04:11	buy track
20.	Lapsus (excerpt) 03:32	buy track

about

Ben LaMar Gay’s de facto debut album, 'Downtown Castles Can Never Block The Sun', was our attempt to introduce the legendary Chicago composer / improviser / renaissance man to the rest of the world with a compilation of tracks from 7 albums he made over 7 years (though he hadn’t yet made the effort to actually release). The material showcases Gay’s penchant for genre-hopping – from Steve Reich-ian soundscape voyages to Don Cherry-esque polyrhythm treks to Jorge Ben-style vocal-and-string earworms – while keeping his singular musical voice in focus.

In the years since its release, this long OOP collection has become a touchstone, foreshadowing the breadth and scope of Gay’s output since. The songs-between-the-songs warped Soul Americana madness and beauty of 'Open Arms To Open Us', the unhinged long form freedom of 'Certain Reveries' – each fresh mode would defy expectation if without the context established by Downtown Castles. To quote our OG announcement of the album: “to call it ‘eclectic’ would only scratch the surface. This music is everything.”

The IA11 Edition of this LP comes with an IARC2025 obi strip plus a 4-page insert booklet featuring new (old) photos and new liner notes by musician (and longtime BLG friend/collaborator) Gira Dahnee.

credits

releases March 28, 2025

Compiled & Sequenced by Scott McNiece & Ben LaMar Gay.
Mastered by David Allen.

Cover Art & Photos by Maren Celest.
IA11 Liner Notes by Gira Dahnee.
Original Layout by Craig Hansen.
IA11 Layout by Aaron Lowell Denton.

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International Anthem is a Chicago-born recording company that produces and promotes progressive media.

Founded in 2014, the IARC label has grown to embody a global community of like-minded artists, musicians, and cultural workers dedicated to craft as a means of discovering truth and celebrating humanity. ... more

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