The ancient Mayans foretold it, the Branch Davidians preach it, and biblical codes predict it:
The world will end in 2012.
Yet if their new record is any indication, post-rock troubadours Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band of Montreal, Canada are ready and still awaiting the finish with arms spread wide and smiles on their faces.
“13 Blues For 13 Moons,” the bands 6th release, is a 16-track roaring record of post-apocalyptic visions that departs from their expected style and delves into black, uncharted waters.
No strangers to change, as seen with their constant title switching (A Silver Mt. Zion, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, Thee Silver Mountain Reveries), the group has now taken a different route in their music and not their name.
The strings section, which used to be the star of their releases, has now taken the back seat to screeching, distorted guitars and heart-pounding drums from new drummer, Eric Craven. Also, while past songs started soft and built up to Mt. Zion’s famous wall of sound, “13 Moons” has more of a sense of undulation. Tracks rise and fall, seemingly out of nowhere. While this may upset some, others will find the new sound to be an inventive, expansive push into the genre.
Mt. Zion decided to experiment with their track list on this release, starting the first orthodox song on track 13. Tracks 1-12, each being 5-to-8 seconds long, flow together to comprise a piece of their own. Short snippets of controlled feedback join to form the short “song(s)” that does well in leading the listener into the aural barrage to come.
“1,000,000 Died To Make This Sound” is the first conventional track. Starting out slow with simple guitar notes and the choir singing the title, the listener is anxious and expecting the song to turn at any moment. The choir sings about the one million deaths, begging the listener to believe this is true.
The title track, “13 Blues For Thirteen Moons” is a powerhouse from beginning to end. Tape-loop drones, feedback and slamming drums give way to walls of distorted guitar lines and choral lines of urgency. Everyone joins in repeating, “I just want some action; “a call to arms and a plead for something to happen.
“Black Waters Blowed /Engine Broke Blues” is a blend of gentle, whispered lines and heavy cacophony, eventually giving way to a turbulent mid-section. Efrim Menuck’s untuned, howling voice is paired with piercing guitar bends, creating a sense of togetherness in the pounding beats and wailing strings while delivering their depressing message. “The bones of our horse knee deep in snow/There’s ones who are liars/And ones who don’t know.”
The second half of the track is a mournful dirge that introduces a cathedral-like organ line while Menuck belts out more somber lines of power struggles and corrupt governments.
The final piece, “BlindBlindBlind,” returns to the original Mt. Zion style, slowly building up walls of sound only to have them crumble in the end.
A delicate guitar arpeggio opens the piece, soon joined by vocal whispers and strings that seem to cry as they are bowed. The sound grows and shifts, soon coming to a fevered climax that fades away to the words “some hearts are true,” seemingly trying to convince both the listener and the band that maybe that statement has some validity.
“13 Blues For Thirteen Moons” is a departure from the expected of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band. With their music sounding more hurried, anxious and powerful at the same time, perhaps they realize 2012 will be here sooner than expected and they still have much more to say before the end.
So when the time comes and the giant comet is careening towards the earth, the best thing to do might just be spin this record.
“13 Blues For Thirteen Moons” is out now on Constellation Records.
Chad Rutan can be reached at [email protected].
