The Rock Blogger

Earth. The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull. 2008. 3.5 stars.

This is music for stoned, post-apocalyptic cowboys, like the Mad Max set, but more relaxed and pining for a peyote journey. The influential and experimental Earth, who revolutionized stoner rock with the minimalist drones of 2, return to the doomed Western landscapes they began exploring with 2005’s Hex. The jams here are slow, heavy and hypnotic, luring you with its steady, slithering bass grooves and catatonic drumming. The mood they establish is introspective and sedative, nudging you into an ancient and primal feelings.

While initially coming off as sludgy film music, this album slowly reveals its soothing, psychedelic qualities as the massive riffs precisely echo and drone. Dylan Carson’s guitar work functions as its own language, stoned but deliberate, maximizing each careful note as it plods into the atmosphere. Its hazy quality would be perfect for those acid trips into the Nevada desert. Surely Jim Morrison, Hunter S. Thompson and Tony Soprano know where I’m coming from.

So for those harboring existential thoughts, psychoactive tendencies or yearning for a vision quest, be sure to take Earth’s Bees along with you. More casual listeners may detract from this album because the dirges are so slow, repetitive, drawn out and so blended together, but they’re simply not high enough to appreciate the minimalist genius of it all.
Take it as a companion piece, for whatever psychedelic, post-apocalyptic adventures in have in store.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 11th, 2008 at 10:14 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.