Earth - Primitive and Deadly

(Southern Lord Records, 2014)

Earth’s post-reformation output has been widely praised; while the band laid dormant between the mid-nineties and mid-2000s, the likes of Sunn O))) and Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine did much to help build a wider appreciation for Earth, allowing them to enjoy the same kind of rebirth as fellow phoenix-from-the-ashes reformers Swans. If Earth‘s early discography was characterised by low-fi, long-form noise and drone metal, the new incarnation of the band was elegant, majestic and richly instrumented – even when re-visiting and re-imagining their early work on 2007’s Hibernaculum EP. In many ways the goodwill built up across the successive albums reached its zenith on the divisive, two-part album Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light which some criticised for being uninspired and plodding, while others enjoyed it as much as anything the band had ever done.

Whether this naysaying registered with the band or not is pure speculation, but Earth have returned with an album which definitely speaks to another rebirth in sound. Primitive And Deadly is a rock album; from the opening chugs of Torn By The Fox Of The Crescent Moon, Carlson and co let the distortion ring out, and it doesn’t let up for the rest of the record. Admittedly, distortion is now more of a texture than an all-encompassing  – even, confrontational – mantra as it was on Earth 2: Special Low-Frequency Version, but its presence marks a definite change of sound for the new era of the band. And then there’s the album’s biggest talking-point – the decision to include vocals on three of its five songs.

This isn’t the first time Earth have had vocalists feature on their records of course; some of their earliest recordings feature Kurt Cobain’s distinctive voice, and Carlson himself even sang on Earth’s most straight-foward “rock” album, Pentastar: In the Style of Demons. But it has to be said, hearingMark Lanegan – another Seattle grunge survivor – singing over Earth‘s music is an utter delight which adds a whole new dimension to the band’s sound. Lanegan has collaborated with a vast array of musicians over the course of his illustrious career, but this collaboration with Earth must be one of the most satisfying, and weirdly full-circle collaborations in his entire back catalogue. Ouroboros, it would seem, is fixed.

Lanegan hasn’t sounded as blissfully tripped-out as he does on There Is a Serpent Coming since his Screaming Trees days, Earth‘s gentle, lysergic lullaby sharply contrasting with Lanegan’s ominous, end-time proclamations. Fuzz rolls off Carlson’s guitar notes beautifully, the distortion giving each note extra space to reach out across a psychedelic landscape which the band creates and which Lanegan illuminates. Elsewhere, closing track Rooks Across The Gates sounds like a slowed down Lanegan solo track from his Winding Sheet days, bluesy and sandswept but full of Earth‘s trademark twists and turns in the chord progression.

The real revelation on Primitive And Deadly, however, is Rabi Shabeen Qazi who provides vocals on the album’s centrepiece, the sublime From The Zodiacal Light. Not only is the track one of the most gracefully stream-rolling songs that Carlson has written in a long time, Qazi (of the band Rose Windows) completely owns it with her incredible voice, which reminds us, at times, of Windhand’s Dorthia Cottrell. It’s no easy task for a singer to leave their mark on a track as monumentally huge as this, but Qazi somehow manages it, sounding at once sweet and omnipresent. Expect an influx of people claiming to have always been “down” with Rose Windows after this album properly sinks in – Qazi’s involvement here has certainly made this reviewer want to investigate them further.

Carlson has remained busy in the intervening years between Earth albums, releasing material under his Drcarlsonalbion moniker and touring frequently, but Primitive And Deadly still ought to be considered a triumphant return for one of the most influential bands of our time. Reinvigorated by a slight change in sound, and with a little help from some friends (which also include Built To Spill’s Brett Netson, and Randall Dunn), Earth continue on their singular path, sounding better than ever while attempting more traditional song structures. There is something almost primal and urgent about Primitive And Deadly‘s rock-leanings, an element that is infectious and enveloping. Before they may have lulled you gently into a meditate state – now let Earth stir your senses.

[Originally published on The Sleeping Shaman, 05/09/2014]

http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/e/earth-primitive-and-deadly-cd-lp-dd-2014/ 

Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II

(Southern Lord, 2012)

Let's start by stating the obvious: Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II is a world away from Earth's pivotal album Earth 2; we are, after all, experiencing the second-coming of Earth. However this new incarnation shares many similarities with the version of the band that helped to pioneer the drone and doom genres – the songs are still long, simply structured and feature repetitive riffs but where Dylan Carlson once hypnotised his audience with distorted, raga-like Neanderthal chugs of electric guitar, the new Earth takes a softer approach to subdue and conquer the minds of their audience.

For some people Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I was another example of Earth's second-wave albums being too plain and, in many ways, too nice to constitute being Earth albums. After all, Carlson was the motherfucker who pretty much single-handedly invented drone metal – where was the fuzz, where was the dark, brooding atmosphere? I'm sure for some people the 2007 re-imagining of Earth's seminal 1991 opus “Ouroboros is Broken” took the biscuit, but it was a clear statement of intent from a band reborn. The band had come full-circle and the music was no longer the expression of one man but of a collaborative collection of musicians.

Like Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I, Part II has a loose, improvisational feel to it, the band seemingly finding a basic, gentle groove in each of the songs and going with it until it has run its course. On “His Teeth Did Brightly Shine” the band occupy a menacing, restless folky space, Carlson's guitar meandering closely around a simple riff. “Multiplicity of Doors” is a more sombre, elegant affair, the cymbal washes of drummer Adrienne Davies providing a distinctly jazzy feel, particularly in combination with the drone of Lori Goldston's cello which, at times, sound eerily like some jazz horn.

I think the most striking element of these albums is the debt that Earth seem to owe to post-rock bands like Do Make Say Think and Aerial M, particularly in the sense of inertia and ennui that the band seems to revel in exploring (“The Corascene Dog”). But those who would call this a departure from the band's roots should consider what Earth are doing now as a more meditative, contemplative extension of their early work. There's still a singular mind at work here, but now it's the collective consciousness of a group of like-minded musicians, embellished by the expanded musical palette that collaboration inevitably involves. Final track “The Rakehell”, for example, sounds like a combination of Can and The Doors with Neil Young handling lead guitar duties, while somehow maintaining a dull heaviness that is at the heart of much of Carlson's work.

Hardcore fans of Earth's early work will have either embraced or ignored the band since their triumphant and unexpected return in 2005. There's certainly something to be said for considering them as two different bands, so different is their approach pre- and post- Hex; Or Printing in the Infernal Method. But Earth still manage to cast the same majestic spell regardless of what method they use to conjure it. This is not a mind-blowing album by any means – certainly not like Earth 2 was all those years ago – but it's one that will take you on a pleasant diversion akin to a daydream or falling into the arms of slumber. And that's a good thing.

[Originally published by The Sleeping Shaman, 12/01/2012]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/e/earth-angels-of-darkness-demons-of-light-ii-cd-lp-2012/
[Later reposted on the Roadburn Festival website as their 'Album of the Day', 17/01/2012]
http://www.roadburn.com/2012/01/album-of-the-day-earth-angels-of-darkness-demons-of-light-ii/