Constellation Records • January 21, 2014
These guys have probably always been my (and likely most peoples') favorite Godspeed side-band, though I guess they're easily a standalone band in their own right, with plenty of material to their name. With Godspeed's long gestation time I'm always caught by surprise when I realize they have new stuff out, but they've been pretty consistently good lately, so I can't be too upset.
A Silver Mt. Zion (sorry, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, sheesh, come on now) continue to drift further from the more traditional post-rock of their early albums to a more real rock sound, hinted on with Kollaps Tradixionales. This is definitely one of their loudest and most raucous albums (if not the loudest and most raucous), and it's still a very unique affair. Lots of fuzzed-out guitars and heavy drumming accompany the usual string trio and Efrim's warbly vocals. There's quite a lot of melody, yet there are also parts that almost sound like they're veering on some kind of doom metal, of all things. (The sound is rare, but it's there.)
But very much like Kollaps Tradixionales, Fuck Off Get Free doesn't seem to have much meat to it. I listened to the former quite a few times, and I don't really remember a second of it, something I can't say for Horses in the Sky or 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons. The sound is good, yes, but after a while it all just kind of turns into generic post-rock-pounding and I lose track of what's going on and what I'm listening to. I'm not saying that the songwriting is bad—just not as good as I'd expect it to be.
I still like this, though. It's not revolutionary or epiphanic or anything like that, but it's pretty good. Definitely an album that can be enjoyed by not just any fan of the Godspeed family or the post-rock scene in general; I think A Silver Mt. Zion's appeal has long started to reach beyond that. But maybe a try-before-you-buy affair.
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