View Single Post
Old 10.04.2010, 02:42 AM   #299
atsonicpark
invito al cielo
 
atsonicpark's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 28,843
atsonicpark kicks all y'all's assesatsonicpark kicks all y'all's assesatsonicpark kicks all y'all's assesatsonicpark kicks all y'all's assesatsonicpark kicks all y'all's assesatsonicpark kicks all y'all's assesatsonicpark kicks all y'all's assesatsonicpark kicks all y'all's assesatsonicpark kicks all y'all's assesatsonicpark kicks all y'all's assesatsonicpark kicks all y'all's asses
So, yeah. Listened to this album 5 times. It's their most consistent and great album, from top to bottom. Not my favorite, but I think it is absolutely their best, if that makes sense.

What a devastating haunting work. The first song kicks in and is all manic energy and insane melodies/rhythms, making me think of a million other SCG songs. I figured, "okay, it's going to fall apart and go into some middle eastern jazz skronk". It doesn't... it gets quiet... restrained.. conserved.. holds back... strange. A nice ripping psychedelic solo roars in, the song returns to its roots, and then it's over. Okay, hmm.

Then, well... the album just gets quieter and quieter. By the end, there are barely any "Songs", at least not in a conventional sense. But instead of before, where these moments felt extremely loose and somewhat amateurly improvised, all the space feels tight and necessary. The emptiness of some of the last songs is haunting as hell -- and depressing. What's even odder is that Charles Gocher is almost nowhere to be heard on the album. It seems like he does some background vocals in a few parts (though it could just be Alan singing with himself), and there's some handdrumming and whatnot, and that's about it. There's really not much else, percussion wise -- it almost makes me think that Charles's failing health caused them to write songs that didn't require a lot of drum work (however, I know this album was from 3 sessions, put together, one of the sessions was from over 10 years ago -- so, maybe they just did this on purpose...).

The album somehow encompasses their sound beautifully -- while trying new things (lots of organs and pianos -- even some equalized synth; some neat production tricks here and there, and a whole new approach to songwriting and melody in a few songs).

Lonely, sparse, shockingly quiet, low-key, and depressing. An amazing album. Put on FOR DRUMMER'S ONLY afterwards, and it's a great one-two combo.
__________________




 
atsonicpark is offline   |QUOTE AND REPLY|