Something 4 The Weekend # 236

Earth: Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light II: "The Corascene Dog" [mp3]

For more than twenty years now, Dylan Carson has been doing his thing as the leader of Earth, and his/their thing is playing really fucking slow.

It's a simple enough idea, really, and Earth probably weren't the first to do it, but an argument could be made that they're the best at playing really fucking slow.

It's a tough trick, especially since the first decade of Earth was all about heavy, distorted guitars and bass, creating a sound critics call Doom or Drone, I believe. Heavy distorted guitars are always very cool, even if or especially when played really fucking slow, but the tricky part is keeping it interesting. The tricky part is finding melodies that work at such languid speeds, that not only keep the song moving forward, but keep the listener engaged for ten or more minutes per song. Carson and his band found a way to make yr balls tickle and yr mind blown at the same time, and that's no easy feat.

About 6-8 years ago Carson largely reinvented the band. They still played really fucking slow, but now the music had the sounds and tones of Countryfolkblues. If you want to affix a label to this new Earth sound, I'd suggest Country Doom or Doom Country.

I'd also suggest that it's more brilliant than the heavier Doom of Earth's first decade. And now, with their latest album, Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light, Earth appears to be taking their first steps towards Jazz, or something equally as beautiful.

Or maybe I'm just high.

Hotcha! Hank