Carson & Co. continue their drone genre dominance
It’s incredible to think that, once famous for utterly mountainous drones, Earth have now evacuated to the most barren of aural landscapes. The Bees... continues to provoke a similar set of mental images to the previous full-length Hex; a sepia-soaked ghost town, completely life-devoid and desolate.
Yet in terms of texture, this album brings a lot more than its predecessor. The bleak, fuzzy guitar of Dylan Carson remains at the forefront, but now meanders between heavily buried organ chords and simple piano melodies, as well as the occasional improvised leads of Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. And these new elements certainly don’t ruin the mood – in fact, it’s as though the atmospheric intentions of Hex have come into sharper focus through the use of this instrumentation.
Take Frisell’s contribution to “Engine of Ruin”, which gradually rises above the rest of the music in a triumphant solo of bluesy scales and pinch harmonics. You can feel the droney passion of Earth gushing out of the speakers, as if they’re losing themselves in the lifeless, sonic desert they create. As a listener, it’s difficult not to find yourself joining them.
On the whole, the use of improvisation throughout the album is well executed and incorporated – whether it’s the swirling feedback in “Rise To Glory”, or the inventive piano ramblings of “Hung From The Moon”. However, the majestic vibe of the title track finds itself blemished by the tedious guitar lead that runs through middle section. It’s a potentially glorious moment, with a multitude of different instruments coming together to create a powerful album climax, so it’s a shame such a wearisome solo is conjured up to accompany it. Still, it’s just the one, out-of-character quality lapse, and does little to taint the overall quality of the record.
Compare The Bees... with an earlier release (Earth2 for example) it seems as though the band have completely reshaped their style and musical approach. But on closer inspection, the trademark sub-ground heaviness is as strong as it has ever been, as well as the album founding itself on the same ritualistic repetition heard throughout the Earth back catalogue - the same musical intention remains, just dressed up in a new-found western twang. All in all, it’s another reminder as to why they remain amongst the more innovative of drone manipulators, not to mention one of the genre’s most potent influences.
| Reviewer: Jack Chuter Added: February 27th 2008 |
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