Just before the band starts playing, as he and fellow guitarist/vocalist Steve Janiak are turning their guitars, Apostle of Solitude‘s Chuck Brown clues in the crowd as to what the song “Luna” is all about. He says, “This song goes out to a friend who you guys do not know and really it does not matter. Stay away from those drugs, kids.” Brown, Janiak, then-bassist Dan Davidson (since replaced by Mike Naish, also of Astral Mass) and drummer Corey Webb then ease their way into the memorable, eight-minute penultimate cut from 2014’s righteous Of Woe and Wounds (review here), a song that establishes its progression and then lurches forth with resonant melancholy and heft in kind, Brown and Janiak providing highlight vocal harmonies in soulful verses and choruses.

On a record that had no shortage of quality cuts, it’s hard to find a better example of the particular downerism at which Apostle of Solitude excel so very much. You’d still call their style straightforward in that it’s two guitars, bass, drums, vocals, but though the advent of two singers (something the band’s first two records didn’t have) has added new dimension to their approach, it’s that feeling of drudgery that most distinguishes a song like “Luna,” the struggle that the pacing and delivery seem to convey. There are a lot of acts in doom who shoot for something similar, but it’s not just about playing slow or being bummed out. I know that’s vague, but you can hear it when you listen to Apostle of Solitude — and it’s something true regardless of the tempo of a given track; “Luna” happens to be slower — and it has become a defining feature of their sound. Multi-tiered doom, brought out with as much feeling as tonal density.

Apostle of Solitude previously premiered two videos from Of Woe and Wounds on this site — for “Push Mortal Coil” (posted here) and “Lamentations of a Broken Man” (posted here) — and I’m glad to host the third one for “Luna,” not just because it’s one of my favorites, but because like all the others, it’s given me an excuse to put the record on again and make my way through its lumbering moodiness. Thanks to the band for giving me permission.

Of Woe and Wounds is out on Cruz del Sur. Enjoy “Luna,” followed by the video credits, below:

Apostle of Solitude, “Luna” official video

Apostle of Solitude’s video clip for “Luna” from the album “Of Woe and Wounds” available from Cruz Del Sur Music.

Cameras: Jay Rich
Edits: S. Janiak
Performances filmed in 2015: 5/2/15 at Jabber Jaws, Allentown, PA, and 5/9/15 at Goodfellas, McMechen, WV

Recorded by Mike Bridavsky at Russian Recording, Bloomington, IN
Mixed by Mike Bridavsky
Mastered by T. Dallas Reed @ HeavyHead Studios, Port Orchard, WA

Chuck Brown – Guitar, Vocals
Corey Webb – Drums
Steve Janiak – Guitar, Vocals
Dan Davidson – Bass

Apostle of Solitude on Thee Facebooks

Cruz del Sur Music

Tags: Apostle of Solitude, Cruz Del Sur Music, Indiana, Indianapolis

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 19th, 2016 at 12:04 pm and is filed under Bootleg Theater. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.