For a person that’s into the kind of music that I’m into, I’m slightly ashamed to say I’ve never really listened to either Maserati or Zombi. I knew slightly more about Zombi than I did Maserati but that still wasn’t much. So when I saw they were putting out a limited vinyl only release on Temporary Residence (already sold out at the label, sorry), I figured there wasn’t a better way to get to know either of these much lauded bands.

Maserati throws down 4 tracks (or 2, however you wanna look at it) of superb post-rock. I only wish I had heard this 5 years ago, back when I was devouring as much post-rock as I could. Not that this isn’t good, because it is, but I feel even special post-rock, like Maserati’s slightly spacey & Krauty take on it, just can’t do for me what it used to.

Zombi attempts to tackle their side all in one take with a song called “Infinity.” And while it does only last about 13 minutes, it’s a wonderful 13 minutes of analog synth that seems to last for, well, at least a long time. But it’s not just pure synth drone, like I expected. At about 4 minutes in, this crazy drummer emerges and just goes to town. At first, he takes control of the song, dominating the underlying synth, but eventually he lets up a bit and the two instruments team up to finish off the song in the most epically moody and creepy danceable way possible. This one’s a keeper.

Maserati
Zombi
Temporary Residence

Light are some tricky fellows. First of all, their name is Light. And they packaged their CD entirely in white with lots of folded paper, making the whole thing look quite delicate. You might be thinking you’re in for some ambient drone, right? But then they smear some (supposed) menstrual blood on the disc itself. What kind of drone band does that? I’m not sure but it’s definitely not Light. Because Light makes black metal.

I have a hard time describing A Million Dead Beneath The Ice because I think my brain isn’t synching up with my ears. I hear Light and I hear black metal. Slow moving, buzzing guitars, demon vocals, the whole nine badass yards. But there’s something that’s telling me this isn’t your momma’s black metal. Maybe it’s more like gray metal. Take out the doom organ and the growling hell spawn and you would have some really awesome ambient music. Yeah, it might be kinda scary ambient, but ambient nonetheless. And there’s some Midwestern Americana hiding in there, too. I just know it.

But I keep going back and forth. Do I just think this is gray metal because of the band’s name and the CD packaging? Is this really just some straight up black metal? Or is there something more to Light than the hordes of other BM bands.

I think I’m just going to ignore this slight conundrum in my brain and enjoy A Million Dead for what it is. It’s really some intensely doomish black metal that may be a bit rough on the surface (like all black metal) but is actually quite beautiful. Especially on “When The Flood Waters Come Rushing In” with the mournful guitar that’s right up front, paired with the oh so sad and angry vocals. Whatever sub-genre you decide to throw Light into, know that this is some truly special black metal.

Light

Vladimir Martynov is a very special Russian composer. He’s one who is primarily interested in minimalist, avant-garde, and religious music. I’d venture a guess that there aren’t very many of his type. Night In Galicia takes all of his fascinations, churns ’em up, and spits out a stunning and endlessly intriguing piece of work.

Galicia is a little over an hour long with 13 separate tracks but it’s the 15 minute opener that stands out as the epic focal point. It starts out nice and pure, with a man and woman going back and forth, unnervingly reciting the various pronunciations of our alphabet’s vowels. When I first played this, my wife hated it. She wouldn’t let me get past the 2 minute mark, which is a shame, because that’s exactly where it gets a bit more dynamic. More and more vocals come in and they form some sort of syncopated beat. Eventually, everything bursts into a grandiose chorus that sounds halfway African and makes you want to stomp your feet and and break out in tribal dance. It’s seriously amazing and hypnotic. The CD could end there and it wouldn’t even matter. But there’s still another 50 minutes left to knock you off you feet.

The remaining songs on Night In Galicia alternate between edgy orchestral string drones and majestic vocal work that brings me to the same place as Yoshi Wada’s Lament For The Rise & Fall Of The Elephantine Crocodile. The moods may be dissimilar but the technique and approach are very much alike. And considering how highly I regard Lament, that is one honorable compliment.

My guess is that Galicia might take some getting used to. Granted, that’s only due to my wife’s reaction, but I guess it never hurts to take precautions. I was immediately hooked but it’s possible this might be considered a “tough listen.” If you’re feeling brave, give it a go. I know I’m new here so my word doesn’t mean much, but I 100% recommend this record and will defend it indefinitely.

Vladimir Martynov (Long Arms bio) (Wikipedia)
Long Arms Records

Update: So… I realized that my sarcastic humor might not be easily detectable via the interwebs. After letting my original post simmer, I decided it was unlike myself and I was actually kind of embarrassed by it. The following is what it should have read all along.

I have been recruited to write for one of the greats. Writing for diskant is going to be a great pleasure and I hope everyone else enjoys it as much as I do. Thanks for Marceline for inviting me over here.

Here’s a quick rundown of Justin Snow related info:
I am married. My wife’s name is Elise. Her family history goes back to Cornwall. Does that get me any UK cred?
I have 2 bunnies (Yoshimi & Hodge). They are lovers. And they are my babies.
I have 1 hedgehog. His name is Acorn and he is very prickly.
I live in Salem, Massachusetts. There are people here that actually consider themselves witches. I am not one of them.
I have a never-ending desire to consume as much music as possible that I hope translates into awesome stuff to read at diskant.