Title: Monoliths and dimensions
Artiste: Sunn O)))
Genre: Drone, Doom Metal
Familiarity: I think I may have heard one track. Didn't like it. Mind you, that could have been Sun Ra, I'm not sure.
Track 1 Okay, well starts off as you would probably expect with a heavy feedback guitar, and well, goes like that more or less the same for about six minutes. Now we have some dark vocals coming in, speaking not singing, intoning I guess would be the best way of describing what the voice is doing. Very slow, very menacing, very low. No idea what he's saying though: it's like the old idea of listening to a record play back at twice below its normal speed, which we often used to do for fun. I can certainly detect a kind of atmospheric in the track now that wasn't there before though; I think there may be some bassy piano coming in? This is around minute eight. Yeah, definitely piano. Percussion? Something kind of crackling or rippling anyway, sort of like the earth was tearing itself apart. That's around minute twelve. OK, that sounds like a didgeridoo now (13:45 or thereabouts)? Droning is getting higher-pitched now, maybe some horns joining in. Last minute is just speech and some water sounds, then a big exhalation, which kind of mirrors how I feel at the end of this. I certainly don't hate this but it's not something I'd listen to again for pleasure.
Track 2 Okay, so on to track two. More of the same? Well, no. Violins, cellos and choral vocals before the big heavy guitar punches in, kind of a more dramatic feel to it. The track is broken up by those vocals; now I think that guy is talking again, then a bell rings out and everything stops. A second or so later and we're back to the feedback guitar. Ok, choir is back, now we're back to screeching guitar, then that bell, everything stops, and round we go again. Some dark vocals as we head towards the end. Better, but still not something I'd enjoy listening to again. And that was the short track!
Track 3 Oh wait, this one's short too. Well, in comparison, that is. It's (only) just under ten minutes. More harsh groaning guitar, oh and we get a vocal early on. Who cares? This all sounds the same to me. Getting really crushed and bored with it. Some more choir here with horns, quite nice, very dramatic. Yeah, whatever. Think it's coming near the end. As Batty would say, only sixteen minutes to go!
Track 4(Love) I suppose I should be grateful this has only four tracks: I could not suffer through a whole full album of this. Even so, the running time equals most full albums so it's more just a case of how it's broken up. I can't honestly say I've enjoyed any of this so far. Big surprise. The opening riff here is nice, it's different at least. Relatively ambient for about a minute or so. In fairness, this is not as terrible as the rest; when I say terrible I mean monotonous, dull, unchanging, boring etc. I'm aware some people like that. I don't, but again in fairness that doesn't make it terrible, just to me. But this is actually almost melodic. Shock! No dark growly vocals either, so far, though we're only six minutes in so there's plenty of time. I kind of get a Gilmour feeling from this (anyone know “Sorrow” from
A Momentary Lapse of Reason? Like the opening to that). It's certainly engaging me more than anything else on this album has. Are those trombones now? Some really quite pleasant orchestral stuff there near the end; it's nice, but mostly I'm just sitting back here eating my Cadbury Flake and waiting for this to play out so I never have to listen to it again. Ending is good though, like the closing section of "Shine on", the final part.
End result: Other than the last track to an extent, this made no impression on me. I was totally bored and I don't even care enough about it to Hate it. It's something I would be very careful not to have to sit through again. Of course Sunn O))) have many many fans, and fair play to them, but you won't be making one out of me.
So, Love or Hate? It's just a pure
Meh for me.
Chances of a full review: 0/10