Sunday, September 2, 2012

Album Of The Week- Earth,The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull

Earth's The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull is amongst my favorites.Earth approach drone/doom music in a completely different,clean,mellow way,creating drone...something...country? folk? jazz? it's somewhere in there.
First of all some background.Who the hell are Earth?
Earth were a curious part of the Seattle grunge scene of the early 1990's. Frontman Dylan Carlson is infamous for being the guy who gave his good friend Kurt Cobain a shot gun.That's gotta be rough.
The Earth of old played a major role in creating Drone/Doom metal,helping to inspire Ambient doom legends  Sunn 0))).Fast forward through some 10 years of drug addictions,line up changes,legal battles and health problems,and Earth re-emerged with something new and beautiful.The music is still slow, repetitive,minimalistic and droning,but gone is the metal element.Clean guitars,piano,organ and drums so slow it's hard to tell what's going on.
The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull is the second installment in 'new' Earth,and undoubtedly a high point for the band.Everything has a sense of airiness, and the instruments have a huge element of space to them. The band fits so much expression into so few notes,it really astounds me. They still play drone/doom,but its from another world.The ultimate mellow music.
Higly recommended to everyone.
The front cover is by Arik Roper,a wonderful artist whose work graces the covers of many a heavy album.I recommend you look into him.
Miami Morning Coming Down II (Shine)-A beautiful piece of music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFSpuOgH8xQ
Engine Of Ruin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcLic3qg-90
The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull- The most relaxed piece of psychedelic drone you've never heard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYcQT8F58OU

Earth make their maiden voyage to Australia this month,playing the Toff In Town Wednesday the 12th and the Corner Hotel Sunday the 16th.Needless to say,I'll do a review from front and fucking center.

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