Los Angeles-based avant-soul artist Dorian Wood's long-awaited album, Rattle Rattle (independent) marks the official full-length studio follow-up to his 2006 groundbreaking debut, BOLKA. Produced by Dorian himself, Rattle Rattle is an epic collection of original doomsday-themed songs that form one strong, continuous piece (think Scott Walker re-doing Brian Wilson's Smile, with nods to Tom Waits and Nina Simone). Rattle Rattle incorporates over 60 musicians, including a 45-member choir assembled by Dorian himself, The Difficult Women, as well as guitarist Michael Corwin (Correatown), bassist Sebastian Steinberg (Fiona Apple, Soul Coughing), trumpetist Daniel Rosenboom (Josh Groban), violinist Paul Cartwright (Father John Misty) and members of the avant-jazz orchestra Killsonic. Rattle Rattle also features duets with Angela Correa (Correatown, Les Shelleys), Leah Harmon (Petrojvic Blasting Company), Eddika Organista (El Haru Kuroi) and renowned French artist Nina Savary. "I've been laboring on this mother for 4 years, " says Dorian. "After immersing myself in themes of heartbreak and woe on my first album, I felt a great need to allow myself to be angry. So, for 4 years, I've been angry." "I've been blessed with an ocean of friends who have contributed their time and talents to Rattle Rattle", Dorian continues. "It's been a life-long dream of mine to be able to achieve something of this scope, and in the company of such incredible artists, no less!" "Armed with a vocal charisma that would befit a preacher and an experimental streak that would make avant-gardists swoon" (WNYC Culture), Dorian Wood is a wunderkind with a headstrong DIY discipline. He has brought his emotionally-charged performances to concert halls, museums, music venues and performance spaces throughout the US, Mexico and Europe, with a voice that channels the skill and ferocity of such auteurs as Scott Walker, Nina Simone, Nick Cave and Tom Waits. Born in Echo Park, California, Dorian began his musical education at a very early age, continuing his studies at Conservatorio de Castella in Costa Rica, and eventually making his way back to Los Angeles, where he first gained exposure performing on the queer bar circuit. His debut album, BOLKA, received wide critical acclaim for its impeccable merging of folk, soul, Bulgarian choral music and experimental music. His follow-up EP, Black Pig Suite, featured members of the L.A. experimental orchestra Killsonic, of which Dorian was a principal collaborator and performer for 3 years. In early 2010, Dorian was joined onstage by legendary artist Little Annie at (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York. That same year, Dorian received critical praise for his performance and "picture perfect" art direction (Los Angeles Times) in the Killsonic opera, Tongues Bloody Tongues, presented at the REDCAT in Los Angeles. Dorian performed at the REDCAT again in 2011 in the opera Zoophilic Follies, along with Timur and The Dime Museum. In 2011, Dorian was commissioned by LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions) to present a new work for the performance series Los Angeles Goes Live, part of Pacific Standard Time. Dorian's performance installation, Athco, Or The Renaissance of Faggot Tree, incorporated over 30 performers, and was presented at Barnsdall Art Park. That same year, Dorian performed with acclaimed artist Marina Abramovic in her piece An Artist's Life Manifesto, presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). Dorian has also performed at LACMA, UCLA, Highways Performance Space (Santa Monica), Pacific Design Center (West Hollywood), The Stone (New York City), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco) and the Stockholm Fringe Fest (Sweden). Praise for Rattle Rattle: "A sweeping triumph of a musical extravaganza if we ever did hear one...We doubt there will be another album released in Los Angeles as bold and raucous as Rattle Rattle -- finally, the album we needed to wake us up from our winter slumber." - LA-Underground "Cacophonic, sinister, brooding, ambitious, bewitching and bold." - Out In The City (UK) "May already be among my projected 30 favorite records of the year!" - WMBR (Cambridge, MA) "This one is a winner!" - KUNM (Albuquerque, NM)