aRCHIVE Recordings
2006
Limited CD
First things first, this may be a textbook case of artwork fitting the music it envelops perfectly. 'Grandeur of Hair' is an album of thick, pulsing, analogue drone carried along by peaking sludgy riffs and hypnotic female vocals. This is a brand of noise or drone that is most similar to Boris at their most dense, with much appreciated nods towards My Bloody Valentine. The Munch woodcut in pink, messily applied to a black background seems to characterise an album where pretty features and form emerge out of the waves of feedback and sludge.
As with most drone albums, 'Grandeur of Hair' should be played very loudly, though unlike most there are frequent riffs and vocal hooks that pull your attention back, in a familiar and melodic way rather than a reliance upon the power of the raw sound. Which, incidentally, is huge. The frighteningly harsh guitar parts are distorted and twisted into something with a texture of its own. Its a completely compelling sound, that (as mentioned before) comes closest to Boris' more drone moments such as Flood and Absolutego. The production and mastering courtesy of James Plotkin is perfect, even quieter sections such as the clean guitar part in 'Windowpane' is played over a backdrop of static, which avoids jarring dynamics and basically maintains a theme throughout the album. However there seems to be a clash of ideas in this, the rich drone is in constant flux, changing with the melodic elements, but there is never any satisfying theme or change in dynamic that develops. The sheer noise on the individual tracks works really well, yet it is relentless from start to finish without any real let up or development. It's maybe a personal preference, but some respite before the undeniably awesome wall of noise that characterises the album.
The idea of heavy, slow noise rock is certainly compelling, tracks like 'Croatan' and 'Overnight' are utterly crushing, but it's hard to keep tuned in to the whole running time of this album. As mentioned earlier, the melodic nods always catch the ear, but despite the background noise sounding fantastic, the constant changes means that it never settles into being memorable or distinct in any way. This is a bit of a shame, because the components of this album are completely absorbing (I doubt anyone could avoid getting sucked in by the opening of 'Own a Car') but a lot of the impact is lost when listening all the way through.
'Grandeur of Hair' is certainly a very impressive record, and for a first experience of The Goslings it gives the impression of a group that have mastered their sound, fans of noise rock will definitely enjoy this record (if they do not own it already), though others may find it ultimately disappointing after a fantastic opening. A dirty and brutally sludgy album, which is different enough to stand out from most albums of its type.
7 / 1 0
Notes
- 'Grandeur of Hair' is one of the most recent releases on aRCHIVE, a label distinguished by lavish, individual packaging and limited runs of various noise/doom/drone/etc. groups. Notable releases have included Sunn O)))'s LiveWhite and both Khanate and Boris live sets
- The artwork is provided by www.cjadesign.com
- Limited Pressing of 500 cds, most aRCHIVE cds are unlikely to be reprinted, only the Khanate Live Sets have been repressed so far.
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