Review
Earth
Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light I

What more can be said about Dylan Carlson and his outfit, Earth (and long time drummer Adrienne Davies), that probably has not been said many times over ad nauseum? Personally, Earth has become a touchstone and jumping off point for a ton of incredible music (Carlson and company certainly broadened my musical horizons and palette) while at the same time acting as a barometer to hold other music up against in many ways. That being said, there are those out there who are ceasing their attention paid to Earth because they have been progressively going soft, which is unfortunate that they are waiting for the sequel to Earth 2 and or their other earlier records; but for some other people, Earth is continuing to grow and expand their sonic bag of tricks.

Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light I is another step into new territory for Earth as Carlson has added new instrumentation and played with the compositional style a bit, while still maintaining a common trajectory that the outfit has been on of late (from Hex… out). “Old Black” clues listeners in immediately with the modus operandi for this particular record, a further exploration of the sounds of the last few previous recorded offerings with a new element, that of an almost mournful sounding cello bulwarking an almost slowed to a crawl blues, country, and or bluegrass motif; the effect is immediately stunning and brings a wide smile to my face like a warm summer sunrise would, but further and deeper listening reaps rewards when you start to really notice the subtle drones that build over the course of the song (arguably, this is one of the best tracks from the band to be found on the last several albums). Somehow, Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light I seems to be an even more mellow affair than what I am used to from Earth; imagine a drowsy early summer evening with the sun and the moon both in the sky while sipping your beverage of choice as you try to stay cool and that kind of gives you an idea of the mood that this puts me into as it plays.

Another strong album from the Dylan Carlson and friends, Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light I is certainly required listening if you have spun any of the recent Earth records (barring, of course, the re-issue of the complete “Smegma Sessions” as A Bureaucratic Desire For Extra-Capular Extraction) because it solidly places itself in that style and motif that you have been lost in those records. I certainly have lost countless hours (already) while this great record has spun on my record player (the 2xLP version of this is stunningly gorgeous looking and sounding) while I lazily lounge around the house, and sometimes the thought of what the sequel might bring pops in my head from time to time.