Oldest Sea Post “Sacred Destruction” Video; A Birdsong, A Ghost LP Out Dec. 1
Stepping forward as the also-life-partners duo of vocalist/pianist/synthesist Samantha Marandola and guitarist/bassist/drummer Andrew Marandola, New Jersey’s Oldest Sea — lest we forget that my beloved Garden State once produced Evoken — herald their upcoming debut full-length, A Birdsong, A Ghost, with the minimalist drone creep of “Sacred Destruction,” the opening piece of the record for which a new video can be streamed below. Grueling riffs, fragile-but-maybe-rage-shaking vocal melodies, a resonant expression and a heft that goes beyond tone to the overarching atmosphere typify the first public audio from the follow-up to Oldest Sea‘s 2022 Strange and Eternal EP (review here), and it may well be that the rest of what follows on A Birdsong, A Ghost is even more ethereal, but the impression from the clip is that there’s a context being set for the whole work — a whole-album intro, in other words — and so “Sacred Destruction” feels bigger than itself on multiple fronts.
Very much looking forward to digging into this record. Here’s the news from the PR wire so I can say I posted it later:
OLDEST SEA- A Birdsong, A Ghost
OLDEST SEA: ethereal doom duo expresses “feminine rage, grief, and transformation” on new album “A Birdsong, A Ghost”; official music video now streaming, directed by Dylan Pecora (Merzbow, Ecology: HomeStones)
Oldest Sea announces the December 1st release of its new full-length album, A Birdsong, A Ghost.
The album will be released on Darkest Records, the label owned by Jordan Cozza of sludge-doom greats HUSH.
Pre-order the LP, here: https://oldestsea1.bandcamp.com/album/a-birdsong-a-ghost
“It’s an expression of feminine rage, grief, and transformation,” says Oldest Sea vocalist Samantha Marandola. “It’s kind of just one long primal scream for me.”
On “Sacred Destruction,” the album’s opening track, Marandola’s crystalline vocals, layered sumptuously, dance around the sparse twang of a lonesome guitar, building tension that eventually gives way to a majestic doom dirge. Marandola’s voice is stunning and one-of-a-kind. Whether quavering vulnerably or soaring all-powerfully, it hooks the ear and commands attention like a hawk’s talons sunk in flesh.
“I started as a one-person project back in 2017 and wrote experimental, ethereal, folk music,” she says. “My husband Andrew joined me a short while later and we began to play out as a two-piece. By 2021, my writing evolved into something heavier.”
Across A Birdsong, A Ghost – five tracks, clocking in at almost 40 minutes and unfolding like one long scene in a film – the couple set a tone that is haunting, otherworldly, and heartbreaking. The two have stated their influences to include doom bands such as Mournful Congregation and Shape of Despair, composers such as John Carpenter and William Basinski, and iconic vocalists such as Björk and Roy Orbison. All are clearly represented here.
The Marandolas also give credit to their rural New Jersey surroundings. Samantha, who works by day in environmental conservation for a land and water trust, states: “It is very rural. A farming community. Being so close to the natural world has a huge impact on how and what I write.”
The “Sacred Destruction” video, created by Philadelphia sculptor and video maker Dylan Pecora, is a gorgeous, surreal clip, laced with body horror, reminiscent of the works of Matthew Barney. “The song is about letting go of a former self,” says Samantha. “Dylan’s video captures everything that’s meant to be conveyed in that song, and I really appreciate their surrealist approach. They found a way to seamlessly unify song and film so that they’re essentially one unit.”
Pecora’s credits include building props and puppets for Saturday Night Live, and creating music videos for artists such as Merzbow. They are also alleged to be involved in the mysterious Ecology: HomeStones project, which has amassed more than half a million followers across social media.
A Birdsong, A Ghost was engineered and mixed by the Marandolas and mastered by Dan Lowndes (Leviathan, Unearthly Trance).
Oldest Sea has played shows with the likes of Planning for Burial, Bell Witch, and Mizmor. A short tour with Oktas begins November 9th.
Tour:
Nov 9 – Worcester, MA @ Ralph’s Diner (w/ Oktas)
Nov 10 – Providence, RI @ The Mayday (w/ Oktas)
Nov 11 – Portland, ME @ Urban Farm Fermentory (w/ Oktas)
Nov 12 – Burlington, VT @ The Monkey House (w/ Oktas)
Nov 13 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Desperate Annie’s (w/ Oktas)
Tracklist:
1) Sacred Destruction
2) Untracing
3) Astronomical Twilight
4) The Machines That Made Us Old
5) Metamorphose
Lineup:
Samantha Marandola – vocals, synth, piano
Andrew Marandola – guitar, bass, drums
https://www.facebook.com/oldestsea
https://www.instagram.com/oldestsea/
https://oldestsea1.bandcamp.com/
https://darkestrecords.bandcamp.com/
