A Silver Mt. Zion - “13 Blues for 13 Moons” Review
A Silver Mt. Zion. 13 Blues for 13 Moons. 2008. 3 stars.
A Silver Mt. Zion, easily the most celebrated splinter project from the Godspeed You Black Emperor crew, return for their fifth full-length outing, spouting more anarchistic diatribes over intense and dramatic orchestral instrumentation. The gorgeous strings, pulse pounding drumming (courtesy of new member Eric Craven) and searing blasts of electric guitar remain intact and interact beautifully with each other over the four, 13 minute plus epics found here. While the stirring compositions build gracefully, with a greater emphasis on the soaring guitar bursts, the band’s newfound sense of urgency ultimately falls a little flat in its execution and once again, Efrim Menuck’s grating vocals are largely to blame.
When the band was just starting out, Efrim’s vocals were mainly a quaint and subtle accessory, offering quiet, poetic musings that weaved in and out of the orchestral build ups with ease and restraint. With each successive album however, the presence of his vocals has grown exponentially, with his tuneless shouts providing the harrowing political narratives for his tiny musical army. While his style is unique and inventive, and separate the band’s sound from being mere Godspeed rehash, it becomes an overwhelming distraction when given center stage. While the music here is bold, loud and emotionally gripping, going into full bombast with greater force than on their previous records, it can’t reach its pinnacles without Efrim’s desperate screams taking away from their majesty.
Now, I’ve heard every album recorded by this band, and was entranced by their live show, so I understand the scrappy, rustic aesthetic the band strives for. This is punk music for the classical and avant-garde set, and Efrim’s maddening delivery sets to establish the band’s alternative ethos and far-left politics. But when you hear “The hangman’s got a hard-on!” being yelled repeatedly while you’re trying to enter the pastoral landscapes being etched out, the experience lends to some great frustration.
Because 13 Blues for 13 Moons is a much rockier record than its predecessors, going into full throttle electric jams without the extended symphonic introductions, A Silver Mt. Zion is showing progress towards greater brevity and immediacy in their work. This of course comes at a price. The often poetic and memorable lyrics that Efrim has delivered consistently and uniquely in the past are harder to understand and appreciate on this record, as his singing becomes more pained and overpowering and the musicianship becomes heavier . While I can appreciate the band’s growth and high stakes political drama, the repetitive yelps and rollicking dynamics take a way from what could have been a rewarding and intriguing art rock album.
March 30th, 2008 at 11:53 am
this used to be one of my favorite bands. i have a tattoo of one of the lyrics from born into trouble. i wanted to like this album, but everything written here is spot on. i listened to two tracks and turned it off. efrim’s really gotta lose some of the confidence he seems to be gaining with each album, as silly as that sounds.
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 am
Yeah, I definitely prefer their more subtle albums. I think they should just make another Godspeed You Black Emperor album, its been 6 bloody years already.