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Old Testament Premiere “Summer Grass” from Self-Titled Debut LP

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Tomorrow, Sept. 9, marks the release date of Old Testament‘s self-titled debut on Xemu Records. The (relatively) new project is spearheaded by Jason Simon of Dead Meadow and retains a bit of his signature shoegazing psychedelic meander, but meets that swath of influence head on with touches of classic blues, languid Americana rollout and organ-laced ’60s psych. Songs are lush sonically but humble in their intent, and Simon‘s drawl works well as an alternate-reality Hank Williams on the rambling “Movin’ On,” as well as on the Earth-gone-fuzz drone rock of “Trip Light.”

Instrumentation and atmosphere vary widely throughout Old Testament‘s Old Testament, as Simon and his band — which here includes Nate Ryan, formerly of The Black Angels, as well as Oak Munson, Jessica Senteno, Ryan Rapsys, toy with countryold testament cover twang on “Dallas” and raga explorations on the penultimate “Now as in Ancient Times,” but in addition to Simon‘s voice tying the material together, there’s a unifying thread of joy deep within the slow-moving material, and while the songs aren’t always happy or boisterous, the album maintains a signature American optimism that carries through even in the train-ride blues of “Josephine” or the blown-out gospel folk of closer “Time to Rest.”

“Summer Grass,” which I have the pleasure of premiering today, pulls some of the diverse vibes of the album together nicely into a cohesive, twanging but still psychedelic fluidity. The interplay of organ, guitar and what sounds an awful lot like accordion gives a melodic foundation moved forward by drums and spacious enough for the vocals to breathe out engaging and unpretentious verses. It doesn’t sum up everything Old Testament has to offer, but it’s a good place to start.

Please enjoy. PR wire info follows the player below:

OLD TESTAMENT (FEATURING JASON SIMON OF DEAD MEADOW) TO RELEASE SELF-TITLED DEBUT SEPTEMBER 9th VIA XEMU RECORDS

Xemu Records has announced a September 9th release for the self-titled debut album from Old Testament (cover artwork appears above). The Los Angeles based outfit is helmed by Jason Simon (guitarist/vocalist/songwriter for Dead Meadow) and is intended to be an on-going project to add to his work with Dead Meadow.

On the group’s debut album, Old Testament have tapped into a strain of psychedelic imbued Americana. Droning backwoods ballads and haunting blues are possessed of warbling guitars, harmonium, singing drums, blown out harmonica, and Simon’s distinctive vocal styling. It’s a musical stretch of dusty highway that resides somewhere between Fred Neil’s Raga inspired improvisations and Robert Johnson’s haunted Mississippi Delta.

Simon says “I originally started working on these songs as solo material a few years back. I was inspired by the loose and weird quality of Dylan and The Band’s Basement Tapes. I gathered some friends together in my house and we tried to capture the vibe of traditional American songs… a lot of these traditional songs remind me of the strange stories found in The Old Testament. Stories of the bizarre and fantastical, dealing with love, murder and divine vengeance.” Over Time the material tapped into something else as Simon relates: “The songs took their own course as more droning, psychedelic and even eastern elements began to filter their way through.”

The members that appear on this album include Oak Munson, Jessica Senteno, Ryan Rapsys, and Nate Ryan (ex.The Black Angels). Old Testament has been active as a live band over the past year playing throughout California with only a self-released 7” available at shows. Following the release of the full-length on September 9th, the group intends to announce new shows.

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Old Testament on Bandcamp

Xemu Records

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