High On Fire - Snakes For The Divine (Relapse)

What I love most about getting a new High On Fire album is the process of unpacking it. The first album I ever heard by the band was "Blessed Black Wings," and it took me two weeks of straight listening before every single song became the massive monuments of metal that they are to me today. Their music is deceptive. What initially sounds like balls to the wall rock-n-roll, is actually fairly complex, requiring careful attention to the detail. High On Fire is not a band that can be appreciated with a sound sample or even a single dedicated listen.

"Death Is This Communion" wasn't quite as hard to digest, it took about a week before it was my new favorite album. Yet even today, it sounds richer and greater with each listen. So imagine my thrill at "Snakes For The Divine." At first the album appeared to be one of the band's most tangled works to date, meaning, I thought, that it held rewards aplenty to be sought.

But let's back up...High On Fire is the best heavy metal band in existence. Period. They are not doom metal, they are not black metal, they are not thrash metal, they are not glam metal, they are not stoner metal (regardless of their roots), they are not death, southern, prog, whatever...they are motherfucking heavy metal at its finest. Period (again).

As if to prove that point, band leader Mike Pike kicks off "Snakes For the Divine" with a guitar lick that wouldn't sound out of place on an 80's metal album before the band lets it rip at full throttle with their signature Motorhead/thrash attack. As with all great High On Fire there are tempo changes galore, kick ass breakdowns, bridges and lots of chest thumping drums and bass that sounds like an army on the move toward battle. The band doesn't miss a beat with "Frost Hammer," which continues their gallop toward war, and with lyrics about northern warriors it isn't hard to visualize the viking armageddon Ragnarok.

The band slows things down a bit for the sludgy "Bastard Samurai." This is exactly the kind of song that reveals itself through repeated listens. At first the piece came off as filler between testosterone fueled battle cries, but eventually the song develops its own killer presence that chooses to stalk, rather than tear full force, across the field of battle. As with all of the songs before it, "Bastard Samurai" gets an extra boost as a result of Pike's grizzled vocals. For a guy whose voice sounds like he has been smoking and drinking whiskey since he was an infant, Pike offers the perfect dynamic range for High on Fire's music, and his voice has become one of the band's most important instruments. One minute he is snarling, the next he is delivering choppy, rhythmic, almost punk-like, yelps, and often he will bring a song to its spine-tingling climax with a warrior's scream. High On Fire wouldn't be half the band they are without that voice.

The rest of the album ratchets the speed back up for one of the most consistent onslaughts of speed and fury throughout the band's career. In some regards, this approach works against the band, since toward the end of the album the dynamics in tempo that make for so many classic High on Fire songs are missing. "Fire Flood & Plague" is a fucking killer song, no doubt, but it isn't until it reaches a stomping breakdown where Pike begins screaming his vocals and the band pounds away behind him, rather than running roughshod over everything in sight, that the song develops any real personality. The lone exception to this approach is "How Dark We Pray," a midtempo burner that features some classic guitar solo work by Pike, and a killer finale that finds the band chug chugging their way toward the abyss. It isn't the band's best song ever, but it is a nice diversion from the full throttle approach surrounding it.

The bigger problem with the album, though, is that whereas the first half was initially challenging, rewarding the listener with repeat listens, the second half finds the band offering up what is, for the most part, a very straightforward approach. There is nothing wrong with straightforward metal, but the strength of High On Fire is that the complexity and creativity of their song structures offer a richer listening experience than most. When the band forgoes that approach for more basic structures it can sound kind of flat next to their dynamic pieces. It may be that I just need more time with the album's second half, which wouldn't be a surprise given my past experiences with the band's work, or it may be that the band has written some decent, but not perfect High On Fire songs this time around. For whatever reason, in the end "Snakes For The Divine" isn't as ultimately satisfying as either "Blessed Black Wings," or "Death Is This Communion." It is still a damn good metal album, and one that every fan will need, but it just kind of starts to sound bland toward the end, and bland isn't a word that I would have ever used to describe High On Fire before.

Listen to the title track here


Listen to "Frost Hammer" here


Listen to "Fire, Flood & Plague" here

Yellow Swans - Going Places (Type)

The Yellow Swans are dead! Long live the Yellow Swans! For a band that broke up in 2008, the Yellow Swans sure seem to have been busy. They continue to insinuate themselves into the noise and experimental world by producing albums that rewrite the rules with every posthumous release. "Mort Aux Vaches" was one of the best albums released last year, combining transcendent melodic ascensions with cascades of noise. Already this year the band has released a stunning third volume in their live series "Live During War Crimes," and now "Going Places," which purports to be their once and for all final album. Surprisingly, for a band who made a career out of shattering eardrums, they couldn't have crafted a more graceful exit.

Throughout the band's career there has been a continuous progression away from earthshaking noise and toward more nuanced dynamics and texture. The band's breakthrough album "At All Ends," from 2007 was, in many ways, a culmination of the band's work and a schematic for a new way forward, still shaking speakers, but doing so by way of a dynamic arc that was as emotionally beautiful as it was pulverizing. "Going Places" picks up where "At All Ends" left off, but turns the noise down even more. It is still there - the noise - but it is presented in the most subdued manner. If there was a simple phrase to sum up "Going Places," 'subtle noise' would be it.

"Foiled" begins the album with a trip down Kurtz's river. The song sounds as oppressive, humid and hazy as the nightmarish landscape in "Heart of Darkness." A consistent processed guitar pattern plays over a steady percussive beat, while squalls of moist noise flare up throughout the piece. It's dark and dank, but it also bares a striking resemblance to Rob Modell's ""Aloeswood." I mention this not because I think the Yellow Swans were sitting around listening to Deep Chord, although who knows maybe they were, but because it is a stark contrast to the band's noise background.

"Opt Out" continues the watery ways of "Foiled." The song sounds as if the band began recording it at the bottom of the sea. Air bubbles gently percolate until they become a steady stream the band follows toward the surface. Throughout the ascension surface light continues to grow and is reflected in shards of noise that disturb the song's tranquil beginnings. The highlight of the album, though, is "Limited Space," no song better bridges the Yellow Swans sound of old with the more subdued goodbye of "Going Places." The song begins with a distant guitar, some static and a prominent rhythmic bell that is eventually anchored with a steady drum beat. As the song unfolds, rather than simply upping the tension and volume, the band introduces pulsating and cyclical effects that give the impression of continuous movement in a massive amount of space; like the the tide of an ocean, or the sway of a crowd, before ending with an oppressive guitar squall that sounds not unlike an air raid siren during the apocalypse. Even with its menace the song is still restrained for the Yellow Swans. Yeah, it is scary, but it isn't going to shatter your eardrums, which is perfect, because "Limited Space" may be the earphone song of the year, given the numerous textures on display and the depth of space the song invokes.

The album ends with a couple of very subdued numbers "New Life," and the album's titular track. Both songs demand close listens to really appreciate. Like much of the album, these songs could have been blown out into the stratosphere, but the band dials the sound back and lets their music breath quietly, drawing the listener in more so than any of their other releases. What is so unique about this approach is that upon close inspection the Yellow Swans of old is still present. There is so much noise going on beneath the surface that it can be overwhelming and terrifying (in a good way, of course), but a casual listen misses that. Instead a lot of listeners will be thrown by how much more ambient than noise "Going Places" is, and yeah in some regards that is true, but listen closely and it is apparent the band hasn't soften so much as they have traded straightforward audio assaults in for deeply textured experiments in noise that are as emotionally satisfying as they are musically exciting.

In the end "Going Places" is bittersweet. It's a great album, by the best damn noise band that ever existed, but it is also their swan song (I am sure there is some lame play on words that some critic somewhere has made with that phrase given the band's name, but for me this band making their final album is no occasion to make a bad pun). During their career the Yellow Swans swelled hearts as well as melted faces. They proved that noise could be downright beautiful and inspiring. To say that they will be missed is an understatement. Thankfully we have an incredible catalog of music to return to again and again, and "Going Places" is the finale more than worthy of their superb body of work. The Yellow Swans are dead! Long live the Yellow Swans!

Listen to "Going Places" here

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - Kollaps Tradixionales (Constellation)

Beginning as a Godspeed You Black Emperor spin-off a decade ago, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra (whose name has changed with nearly every release, albeit for the words Silver Mt. Zion), long outlasted Godspeed and have produced twice as many records. To the band's credit, although they utilizes the same basic template of chamber rock, each album has sounded unique, bearing its own personality. From the mournful minimalism of "He Has Left Us Alone, But Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corners of Our Rooms" to the bombastic rock-n-roll of "13 Blues For Thirteen Moons," no Silver Mt. Zion album sounds alike. "Kollaps Tradixionales" is the band's sixth album and, unfortunately, the least distinctive of the band's oeuvre.

The album begins promisingly enough with "There Is A Light," a fifteen minute epic waltz that illustrates why Silver Mt. Zion is one of the most powerful bands on earth when they are firing on all cylinders. Combining folk, southern gospel and, of course, crushing agit-rock, the song soars to unbearable heights before smashing itself into bits. Lead singer and guitarist Efrim Menuck has the rare ability to sing rousing laments to idealism that easily rip your heart right out and bring tears to the eyes. This guy would absolutely kill at an Irish wake. "There Is A Light," is a perfect example of Efrim's gift, as he sings about attempting to craft a better world, facing defeat and striving to still believe in hope, even if there may be no reason to. It is gut-wrenching stuff that reaches beyond platitudes and into the most bare human experience of anyone who has ever looked at the injustice and horror of the world and said 'we can do better,' only to watch best intentions go up in flames. It is a sentiment that probably a lot of Americans can relate to these days. What further elevates the song, other than the music, is Efrim's, and by extension our own, complicated relationship with hope. At times he appears ready to abandon it, but then turns around and searches in earnest for its light.

"I Built Myself A Metal Bird" follows and explodes out of the speakers. All the musical subtly and beauty of "There Is A Light" is turned on its head as the band rips through an ugly tale of destruction. The song culminates with Efrim screaming "dance motherfucker," drawing on Charlie Sheen's horrific refrain during the torture of a disabled Vietnamese civilian in the film "Platoon." The fury of the band matches the fury of the lyrics. While folk and gospel may have been the musical inspiration for "Light," "Metal Bird" is pure punk rock, or rather chamber-punk. This is easily the band's most visceral song to date, and it is also one of their very best.

Unfortunately what started off so well slowly starts to stray off course. "I Fed My Metal Bird the Wings Of Other Metal Birds" is for the most part an instrumental reworking of the previous song, but deconstructed to its most basic elements. It is similar in nature to the post-rock drift that these guys and gals have been playing ever since Godspeed, but this time around it really isn't that interesting. There is a languid quality about the song that seems uninspired especially given that the band have just turned in two of their best songs ever.

"Kollapz Tradixional (Thee Old Dirty Flag)" continues the band's slide into mediocrity. It should be noted however that mediocrity for Silver Mt. Zion is usually better than most other band's best work. Part one of a triptych the song finds the band using the melody of "Scarborough Fair" to build a lament upon, and while that sounds like a good idea, the execution just isn't that interesting. "Collapse Tradicional (For Darling)" follows and finds the band continuing its languid approach, but the song is not a loss. Although it is the shortest song on the album at one minute and twenty-eight seconds, it is one of the album's most moving. Based on droning horns and strings, the band elevates the song by singing in unified upper registers. It is fragile, but gorgeous. The final piece in the title track trilogy is "Kollaps Tradicional (Bury 3 Dynamos)" The song finds the band back on solid ground as Efrim's guitar rips holes in the sky while drummer David Payant lays down a tribal march, and violinists Sophie Trudeau and Jessica Moss' strings soar above like a bird of prey. Drawing again on "Scarborough Fair," the song is part sea shanty and part battle march, and entirely awesome.

The album ends with "'Piphany Rambler." The song is a microcosm of the whole, reflective of all the highs and muddled lows of "Kollaps Tradixionales." Starting with more post-rock drift, the song suffers from a nearly narcoleptic beginning. Around the five minute mark the band finally kicks in with a midtempo stomp that brings the waltz begun with "There Is A Light" to a dark and ominous close. Efrim hits on the same lyrical touchstones as "Light," but the band sounds like they are playing at the end of the world, watching all the light being snuffed out forever. Yet even here, Silver Mt. Zion finds a small glimmer by which to lift itself. The song is slowly transformed from a death dirge into one of the most rousing pieces of music in the band's catalog. Trudeau and Moss' violins sound like a soul climbing out of hell as they fight their way above Efrim's bombastic guitar and Payant's bashing. It is an absolutely stunning turn and worthy of Silver Mt. Zion's greatness.

In the end "Kollaps Tradixionales" is an imperfect work full of perfect songs. It begins with some of the band's best work to date, suffers from a soft middle, and returns with a furious end. The album is far from a disappointment, but it it isn't a masterwork either, yet there are certainly elements of both. Even with its inconsistencies, this is an album that I can't help but give a high recommendation. To miss it would be to miss some of the best songs ever by one of the last decade's greatest artists. Just keep that fast-forward button handy for the middle section.

Listen to "Kollaps Tradicional (Bury 3 Dynamos)"


Listen to "I Built Myself A Metal Bird"




Pt. 1 of "There Is A Light" live


Pt. 2 of "There Is A Light" live

Real Estate - Reality (Mexican Summer)

Last year's self-titled debut by Real Estate was loved by many, including here at Skeletons & Candy. Even though it was a late year release, it managed to land on quite a few year-end top 10 list. So the band's new ep "Reality" was received with much anticipation. Unfortunately "Reality" sounds more like a stop gap ep, even though no gap exists yet that would require the band to put out just any old thing.

Comprised of six tracks, "Reality" doesn't really take off until the second half. The first three tracks all bear the band's often charming laid back approach, but aren't developed enough. What made Real Estate's debut so striking was though it sounded effortless, closer inspection revealed it to be a carefully crafted album played by a band dedicated to its execution, even though the members often maintain solo and side projects whose priority may or may not be above their work in Real Estate. The first half of "Reality" sounds effortless alright, but not in a good way. "Basement" comes close to dazzling, but in the end sounds like an slightly above average Yo La Tengo rip-off.

Thankfully, the second half of "Reality" makes up for the lackluster first half. "Saturday Morning" is a nice foray into Ducktails' territory, guitarist Matthew Mondanile's solo project. "Dumb Luck" could have fit in nicely on the band's debut. As with the best Real Estate, the song is a combination of laid back bliss and rousing rock. The real highlight here though is the phenomenal "Younger Than Yesterday," which is one of the band's best songs to date. Eschewing the sun-kissed mellowness that characterizes many of their songs, the band introduces a more rocking, slightly darker vibe here. Hopefully there will be more of this kind of sound in the future.

In the end, "Reality" has some real highlights and some real no lights. "Younger Than Yesterday" and "Dumb Luck" would have made for a 7" to die for, but taken as a whole the ep is little more than filler to be consumed while we await the band to follow up their brilliant debut. If the second half of "Reality" is any indication, it should be another year-end topper.


"Younger Than Yesterday" Live

Richard Skelton - Landings (Type)

Until now Richard Skelton has produced some decent, but problematic, neo-classical works. His previous records as A Broken Consort, as well as those under his own name, were mournful and heartfelt, but they were also somewhat generic. In a field saddled by too much of the same, it was hard to feel overly passionately about Skelton's work. "Landings," on the other hand, is a different story entirely.

Composed over a period of four years, "Landings," is Skelton's most mature and expansive record to date. Mixing strings, acoustic guitar and shimmering drones, Skelton crafts songs that individually astonish, while simultaneously create a massive and flawless whole.

"Landings" begins with the familiar Skelton sound of bowed and plucked strings on "Noon Hill Wood." A circular string pattern plays throughout the piece which is as mournful as anything Skelton has released, but unlike his past efforts there is an added spaciousness and depth to the song that is downright haunting. "Scar Tissue" features a gentle, but no less haunting, acoustic guitar over subtle strings and field recordings of birds. It is a memorable little interlude that harkens to Loren Conners' best work and announces early on that this isn't going to be just another Skelton recording. "Threads Across the River" further emphasis that Skelton is seeking to expand his palette with greater variation. Although string based, "Threads" weaves drone after drone until building itself toward a denouement worthy of Henryk Gorecki or Arvo Part. "Greens Within Brook" follows with a shimmering drone that introduces a bit of color into Skelton's gray-scale canvas. Throughout the albums 12 masterful songs Skelton continues to mix strings, drones and effects in different but equally effective variations.

It isn't just Skelton's willingness to incorporate a variety of arrangements and elements that sets "Landings" apart, there is also a naturalistic feel running throughout the album that further enhances the work. "Landings" invokes a cool dimly-lit wood where fog hovers above dark damp leaf covered soil. That earthiness makes for a rawer sound than similarly situated modern compositions, and adds to the richness of Skelton's work.

It's sort of a shame that this album came out at the end of last year, since technically I can't list it on my year-end list of 2010, because this is by far the best album I have heard in the new year. If you have tried Skelton before and were left underwhelmed, "Landings" will change your mind, and if you have never heard Skelton's work before, this is the place to start.

Immortal

We had some really heavy snow this week, which got me in the mood for "Blizzard Beasts" Immortal, not that I really need an excuse, since these Norwegian gods are my favorite black metal band. Found some awesome live footage from a dvd which apparently is not available in the states, which is criminal to say the least. Enjoy...


"Withstand the Fall of Time"


"One By One"

Spacemen 3

To celebrate the vinyl reissue of "Sound of Confusion," "Perfect Prescription," and "Performance," I present to you some Spacemen 3, for all the fucked up children of the world...

Oneohtrix Point Never - Rifts (No Fun)

Oneohtrix Point Never is the brainchild of electronic artist Daniel Lopatin. Under the guise of OPN Lopatin creates electronic soundscapes heavily inspired by 70s progressive electronic artists ranging from Tangerine Dream and Cluster to horror soundtrack maestros Goblin and John Carpenter. Throughout 2009 OPN released three albums ("Betrayed In The Octagon," "Zones Without People," and "Russian Mind") along with numerous splits, cassettes, and cd-rs. The double disc "Rifts" collects those three albums in their entirety as well as a batch of material from OPN's other releases. Boasting 27 songs, "Rifts" can be a bit overwhelming to consume in one sitting, but not a single one of these songs is superfluous.

On paper, OPN sounds like another cheesy hipster take on retro-futurism, like a less dance oriented Tobacco or Black Moth Super Rainbow. One listen to "Rifts," though, proves Lopatin is going for something much deeper, treating his influences more seriously and clearly with deep respect, rather than simply appropriating them for shits and giggles. Musically "Rifts" has more in common with Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works than any retrorewind dance party. This is 70s and 80s inspired music alright, but it is 70s and 80s inspired music that could act as an alternate soundtrack to an Andrei Tarkovsky film.

To review any of the 27 songs here individually seems sort of ridiculous give the breadth and scope of OPN's statement with "Rifts." Some pieces pulsate with synthesizer arpeggios, some are deep cosmic drones, some are menacing horrorscapes, and some are a combination of all three. All of them bear at least a slightly introverted feel, causing a bit of an existential experience in the listener and their relation toward a world permeated by technology; think Dave in "2001," or identity and emotion in the world of "Solaris." Needless to say there is a welcome intellectualism here missing from a lot of other artists who trade in 70s and 80s revivalism. Make no mistake though, there is nothing clinical about "Rifts." If anything Lopatin's humanity power these electronic soundworlds as much as any synthesizer or computer.

"Rifts" represents an incredibly impressive body of work from an artist who seemingly came out of nowhere last year. Indebted to the past, but making music for a terrifying and uncertain future, OPN has quickly become one of the most compelling artists making music today. "Rifts" is absolutely essential.



"Computer Vision"


"Laser to Laser"


"Format & Journey North"

Jute Gyte - Old Ways (Jeshimoth Entertainment)

Jute Gyte (the musical moniker of one Adam Kalmbach) has created one of the most satisfying pieces of outsider black metal in some time with "Old Ways." Combining the sometimes plodding, sometimes epic, structures of Burzum with harsh industrial noise, Jute Gyte sounds both familiar and original at the same time.

"Waves" kicks the album off with a fantastic piece of woozy mid-tempo grim in the tradition of Burzum. What sets Jute Gyte apart very quickly though is his use of electronic effects that add harsh industrial noise to the classic NBM buzz. The song is held together by an oscillating guitar effect that is reminiscent of Johnny Marr's guitar work on the classic Smith's song "How Soon Is Now?" This isn't shoegaze black metal, though, this is raw brutal blackness updated with noise that sometimes pulsates, sometimes crackles and sometimes pummels. "Teeth" most certainly is in the pummels category. One of the album's best pieces, the song begins with a blown out noise assault before slowing things down to mid tempo. What makes "Teeth" so intriguing are the breakdowns that Jute Gyte creates mixing up tempos and rhythms throughout. Kalmbach keeps listeners on their toes, without ever overwhelming or losing them by blasting the noise completely into the red. Regardless how noisy things get one can discern each instrumental element as they work with and against each other. Just when the piece sounds like it might go over a precipice the piece goes silent save for a brooding solo bass before the song lurches back into action with a full-on black metal assault. It all adds up to a devastating listen that at times reminds one of Wold, but this is much more melodic than that band's industrial black metal.

"Round" follows with the closest thing to shoegaze black metal here, but it is still its own beast punctuated by alternating see saw notes on top of what could be a Kevin Shields' experiment in noise if Shields created cold metallic soundscapes instead of warm narcotic hazes. Unfortunately like all Burzum inspired black metal artists there is an all instrumental ambient piece present on "Old Ways," called, appropriately enough, "Interlude." Like nearly all Burzum ambient homages, it is best to just hit the skip button. Thankfully the album finishes out strong with "Peace," another plodding piece of mid tempo blackness, "Snail," which could be an outtake from a Khanate album and the massive "Death." Clocking in at over 15 minutes long, "Death" is an emotionally blistering piece of depressive black metal that manages to alternate between anthematic and fatalistic, beautiful and disturbed. It is here that Jute Gyte's penchant for electronic flourishes pays off in dividends and elevates the song from a typical mid tempo piece of blasted sadness into something that ascends toward something greater and ultimately more meaningful and emotionally satisfying. Justin Broadrick would probably be thrilled to come up with something this powerful and moving for his next Jesu record.

"Old Ways" is an album that deserves to be heard and Adam Kalmbach is a talent to watch. It is a weird and great feat to be able to deliver a sound that is both absolutely classic black metal and as forward thinking as this.

Listen to "Teeth" here