Creator with her creation
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And here I thought I was tired of this sort of thing. You know what I mean: rockers dipping their toes in the avant-garde sonic pool. Lord knows this phenomenon was legion a few years back. Everybody in a “band” also had a noise project: something that involved people on their knees, making loops, and diddling knobs. In most cases, while I’m sure this represented a healthy outlet for the artist, it was often less healthy for listeners and ultimately came off as aural fat.
I’d previously lumped Mamiffer in that pile, admittedly without much investigation. When I learned that Aaron Turner’s post-Isis activity would focus on more experimental/improvisatory projects, I thought, “Damn, that’s a shame”. He’s a good frontman, a very heavy riffer, and developed quite a good singing voice by the last Isis record. None of those things typically come to bear in the experimental context. Granted, Mamiffer is properly the brainchild of Faith Coloccia, with Turner officially joining their ranks relatively recently. Prior to this, the only thing that stood out from the handful of times I’d stumbled upon their music was Coloccia’s stately piano playing. To be frank, I didn’t have a strong impression of Mamiffer prior to Mare Decendrii (SIGE, 2011).
Well, damn if this isn’t some of the most beautiful instrumental music I’ve heard in forever. Effectively splitting the difference between a lush Eno/Mansell/Pärt-esque melodic sprawl and the stoic chordal frameworks of Mr. Turner’s defunct band – with some creepy atonalism thrown in to break the treacle – this is like the soundtrack for an Andrei Tarkovsky film with a Michael Bay budget. The artsy and introspective moments sit nicely next to the more bombastic ones. The production is flawless: the complex layering of dense vocal chorales, distorted guitars, synths(?), piano, and bowed strings deserves commendation alone. (There’s a reason people used to be hired just to write orchestral arrangements.) I was so floored by how immaculately these details were arranged, I wondered if they’re an improvisatory band anymore. I hope not: this change suits them, and I hope they come up with creative ways to represent this material live. There’s absolutely nothing off-the-cuff about Mare Decendrii, and it’s all the better for it.
Not that whatever Mamiffer decide to do on tour should have any bearing on your enjoyment of this stellar, lovingly made record. Which, by the way, is not metal but is very, very heavy. It’s also doing that thing which instrumental avant-rock tends to fail at, which is to lodge itself deeper in my head with each listen. For all its sprawl, Mare Decendrii is tight, catchy and hooky. On-your-knees rockers: this is how it’s done.
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HEAR MARE DECENDRII
“As Freedom Rings”
. . .
“Eating Our Bodies”
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BUY MARE DECENDRII
Amazon (MP3)
SIGE (MP3, FLAC)
SIGE (CD, LP, shirt)
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FAITH COLOCCIA’S ART BLOG
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So cool to see this here. Gorgeous stuff that, as Alee points out, rewards repeated and attentive listens. Heavy in the way that late-period Swans are heavy.
Yes great to read about this hear. One of my favorite albums I’ve heard all year. Excited to see them at the Utech Records Music Festival!
*here
I’m very glad to see somebody else listening to this – it’s a great album and every time I listen to it I appreciate it more. There is just so much awesome in this album. Everybody who thinks they understand metal or near-metal should listen to a couple of these songs (preferably the whole album) once or twice – Coloccia & Turner really have something interesting to say here.
As @pseudonymous notes, this is a must-listen for fans of later/recent-era Swans and, of course, The Angels Of Light, M. Gira’s very own Jesu.
Have you ever mentioned Kayo Dot on here?
Alee – I’m pretty sure that Mamiffer is not an improvisatory project. The first album, like this one, sounds pretty composed. Maybe House of Low Culture, Turner’s solo experimental project over the years, is more improvisatory.
Dan Wolfson – This site has a search bar at the top. It works! It reveals that we have mentioned Kayo Dot here several times. For example:
http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2010/05/kayo-dot-coyote/
Cosmo, I think I assumed that they were improvisatory, which is not great journalism!
I caught the tail end of them opening for Isis and that was the “vibe” I got. Anyway: good reason to explore the back catalog.
Love me some Mamiffer, though I’ve been a lot slower getting into this one than the first.
Also I think Cosmo is right, at least based on this picture: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tbr9hh-qKdY/TV7pC6Yf_gI/AAAAAAAAASA/FgSrfGot5Pk/s1600/mamifferedit5x-1.jpg
i never “got” isis, always seemed kinda plodding and toothless. this is rather nice and “cinematic” post-rock-ish for the most part, though the vocals are disappointing.
As @pseudonymous notes, this is a must-listen for fans of later/recent-era Swans and, of course, The Angels Of Light, M. Gira’s very own Jesu.
man, AoL wasn’t just gira yelling into a delay pedal!