SOUNDTRACK: A SILVER MT. ZION-He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms… [CST009] (2000).
While working with Godspeed You Black Emperor, Efrim decided to start another band. Ostensibly this was an attempt to “learn music” and to be able to communicate better with his fellow musicians. Apparently, this didn’t work. So rather he created another band A Silver Mt. Zion (whose name has changed on nearly every album). Strangely enough, he took two other members from Godspeed with him Thierry Amar (bass and more) and Sophie Trudeau (violins).
So how different can this band sound, then?
Well, quite different, actually. Efrim’s main instrument for this album is piano (there was no piano in Godspeed as far as I can recall). And virtually the entire album plays like a slow modern classical piano album.
This album being made by the folks from GYBE, there’s bound to be some differences between the vinyl and the CD. The vinyl lists two songs, while the CD breaks those two songs into four parts each.
“Lonely as the Sound of Lying on the Ground of an Airplane Going Down” is the first song. It has four parts.
“Broken Chords Can Sing a Little” opens with some piano chords, slowly meandering through a slightly dark melody. The song is 8 minutes long and about 3 minutes in, there’s some staticky recorded voices that speak over the melody. A slow mournful violin comes in about 4 minutes in. Another voice fights for dominance during the song (they may both be religious speakers, although it’s not always clear). The last minute or so of the song is simply the two voices speaking over each other.
“Sit in the Middle of Three Galloping Dogs” introduces some drums into the mix. It’s the only song with drums–provided by GYBE member Aidan Girt. Those voices continue into this song. The drums give the song momentum as they play under an echoing guitar and some cool overdubbed violin parts. The song seems like it will continue the same, but about half way in, the music drops off except for a fast bowing violin and then it shifts tone completely, with a more intricate drumbeat and new layers of violin.
The end of the song merges with the next track’s opening piano notes. “Stumble Then Rise on Some Awkward Morning” returns to the sound of the first track–spare piano and plaintive violin. The song slowly builds, but in a very different way from GYBE. The pianos grow more insistent, but don’t seem to be heading towards a cathartic conclusion, just toward a new location. And the song ends with a series of descending piano notes.
“Movie (Never Made)”is only three minutes long and it marks yet another departure from the GYBE/SMtZ instrumental world. Efrim sings! His singing voice is whispered and quiet (occasionally anguished) and works pretty well in this quiet song. The beginning lyrics: “A Silver Mt. Zion / all buried in ruins / we was dancing the hora / until we vomited blood.” (Efrim described recording the album as a “Jewish experience”). The music is spare piano and a rather jazzy contrabass until the end when a violin is added. But it is primarily a spare piano and vocal song.
Disc/Side Two is called “The World Is SickSICK; (So Kiss Me Quick)!” and also has four parts.
“13 Angels Standing Guard ’round the Side of Your Bed” opens with what sounds like distant voices fading in and out amid washes of guitar chords. The bass and violin anchor the song to a melody. The “voices” might actually be guitars, although they sound almost like angels singing amid the ambient waves.
“Long March Rocket or Doomed Airliner” is listed as being only five seconds long and is all silence. The CD suggests that all of the songs are timed as round numbers (9:00, 3:00) which isn’t true according to the CD.
“Blown-Out Joy from Heaven’s Mercied Hole” begins with a slow jazzy bass and Efrim singing gently. Harmony vocals (from Sophie) can be heard as well. The song is nearly ten minutes–the longest on the disc. And the vocals stop pretty quickly. The rest of the song is violin over the bass with a sprinkling of piano notes as well (sometimes playing a lengthy riff or run). This song also features two guests: Gordon Krieger on bass clarinet and Sam Shalabi on guitar (both of which come in around 8 minutes, I believe).
“For Wanda” is apparently the inspiration for the disc. The album was born out of Efrim’s desire to record something for his dog Wanda, who died while GYBE were on tour. This song is a slow melancholy piano with ambient sounds in the background (unclear what they are although they sound like fireworks). Eventually, the violin comes in as well and continues the melancholia. The song fades only to be followed by a quiet coda on the organ.
So yes, this is quite a different sound and feel from GYBE. And, perhaps surprisingly, this would prove to be Efrim’s main musical outlet, releasing several albums and couple of EPs before GYBE would reunite.
[READ: January 19, 2016] “‘We’ve Only Just Begun'”
I was sure I had finished off all the older Harper’s stories, but here’s one that I missed. And it is pretty peculiar.
The story is elliptical. not really having an opening and not really having an ending.
And as such, a review has to be somewhat elliptical as well. The story opens:
“They got into our car at a stoplight. It was cold. We never lock the doors in back. There were two of them. At the apartment they terrorized us.”
One of “them” was named Grimaldi. (more…)
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SOUNDTRACK: AFRO BLUE-Tiny Desk Concert #331 (January 13, 2014).
Afro Blue, a nine-member a cappella troupe from Howard University in Washington, D.C.
I Just Read About That... 