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All Them Witches Release Live on the Internet CD & LP

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 22nd, 2022 by JJ Koczan

Dec. 19, 2020. I actually didn’t watch All Them Witches‘ ‘Live on the Internet’ stream when the Nashville then-trio premiered it. Not for any disdain toward the band or the idea of streaming. I kind of knew it would be good and decided that would make me sad and that was that. Looking at the setlist now, I’ll do penance ordering the CD. Hardly flagellation, as punishments go.

They’re on the road most of this year, which is awesome and I hope it all happens and all that stuff. Recall that they’re back to the original four-piece incarnation of the band now, and that’s great too, but this was also for sure a stage of the band worth preserving. This isn’t their first and hopefully it won’t be their last live record. The more the merrier, on my shelf.

From the PR wire the other day:

All Them Witches Live on the Internet

All Them Witches have released LIVE ON THE INTERNET via New West Records

Order link: http://newwst.com/lotiEM

All Them Witches are known for their loud and lengthy live shows. 2020 found the band releasing their critically acclaimed album, Nothing As The Ideal. An album release from this band would traditionally be followed by a lengthy 18-month tour across the globe. Due to an international pandemic, the band’s touring plans were brought to a halt. This did not stop All Them Witches from assembling in a studio to broadcast a live set for their fans. The set was roundly received as an amazing performance and fans immediately inquired as to whether or not this show would be available outside of the broadcast. New West Records is proud to present All Them Witches – LIVE ON THE INTERNET.

After being on lock down during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the band reconvened at S.I.R. Studios in Nashville, TN to perform a live-streamed event for their fans. Their single performance of the year featured the band playing songs from their critically acclaimed new album Nothing as the Ideal live for the very first time.

“Excited to announce that ‘Live On The Internet,’ with audio from the 2020 livestream of the same name, is available on streaming services NOW for you to enjoy.”

Check it out: allthemwitches.lnk.to/LOTI

Order the 3-LP / 2-CD set, and watch the video for “Enemy of My Enemy” below.

1. Blood And Sand / Milk And Endless Waters 09:43
2. Dirt Preachers 04:04
3. Saturnine & Iron Jaw 05:00
4. 41 05:32
5. When God Comes Back 03:41
6. Alabaster 07:33
7. Diamond 06:21
8. 1X1 04:48
9. 3-5-7 03:42
10. The Marriage Of Coyote Woman 05:46
11. Charles William 05:48
12. Rats in Ruin 09:14
13. Open Passageways 03:33
14. Enemy of My Enemy 03:32
15. Everest 02:37
16. Bulls 05:20

Tour on sale now: https://www.allthemwitches.org/tour

http://allthemwitches.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/allthemwitches
https://www.instagram.com/allthemwitchesband/
http://www.allthemwitches.org/
https://store.newwestrecords.com/

All Them Witches, “Enemy of My Enemy” from ‘Live on the Internet’

All Them Witches, Live on the Internet (2022)

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The Obelisk Presents: THE BEST OF 2020

Posted in Features on December 31st, 2020 by JJ Koczan

london-news-etching-1854-newcastle-upon-tyne

[PLEASE NOTE: These are not the results of the year-end poll, which is ongoing. If you haven’t contributed your list to the cause yet, please do so here.]

Invariably, the ultimate measure of 2020 will be in lives and livelihoods lost around the world. I have nothing to add to the discourse of the COVID-19 pandemic that others haven’t said in more articulate and precise language. Suffice it to note that 2020 was the year that the very concept of “unprecedented” itself became trite.

One does not have to look far to find positives amid the devastation. Creativity continues to flourish. Art cannot be killed. Even locked away from each other in quarantine, artists will continue to reach out, to collaborate, to fulfill the human need for expression that has driven the species since cave drawings and will no doubt be the ruins we leave behind us when we’re gone.

In underground music, it was simply overwhelming. And though I’ll admit it was hard at times to listen to music and divorce it from the larger context of what was happening in the world — it was there like a background buzz — this year reinforced how necessary music is, not only as an escape or a source of income for those who make/promote it, but as an integral component of life and community. Absences have been keenly felt.

I won’t try to sate you with platitudes, to say “things will get better.” Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. One year turning to the next does not fix broken systems and it does not cure raging plagues. It’s just a number. Arbitrary except as a convenient marker for things like this, births, deaths, and so on. Bookkeeping.

Before I turn you over to the lists: Please be kind in the comments if you choose to leave one. To me. To other people. To yourself. These lists are culled from my listening preference and what I consider of critical importance. But I’m one person. If there’s something you feel has been left out, say so. I ask you only to do so in a spirit of friendship rather than argument. Thank you in advance.

ukmedsnorx.com/zopiclone
ukmedsnorx.com/zolpidem

Okay:

The Top 50 Albums of 2020

#50-31

50. Sun Crow, Quest for Oblivion
49. Atramentus, Stygian
48. Arcadian Child, Protopsycho
47. Fuzz, III
46. Jointhugger, I Am No One
45. Dirt Woman, The Glass Cliff
44. Switchblade Jesus, Death Hymns
43. Foot, The Balance of Nature Shifted
42. Hymn, Breach Us
41. IAH, III
40. Lord Fowl, Glorious Babylon
39. Acid Mess, Sangre de Otros Mundos
38. 1000mods, Youth of Dissent
37. Deathwhite, Grave Image
36. Soldati, Doom Nacional
35. Cortez, Sell the Future
34. Kadavar, The Isolation Tapes
33. Black Rainbows, Cosmic Ritual Supertrip
32. Shadow Witch, Under the Shadow of a Witch
31. Insect Ark, The Vanishing

Notes: To say nothing of the honorable mentions that follow the rest of the list below, immediately we see the problem of so-many-albums-not-enough-space. People talk about a top 50 as ridiculous, like there’s no way you can like that much music. Bullshit. I agonized over how to fit Sun Crow on this list because their Quest for Oblivion felt like it deserved to be here. Ditto that for Arcadian Child. And the achievements of bands like Kadavar, 1000mods and Switchblade Jesus and Insect Ark in breaking the boundaries of their own aesthetics deserve every accolade they can get, and likewise those who progressed in their sound like Cortez, Shadow Witch, Lord Fowl, Hymn, Foot, Black Rainbows, Deathwhite and IAH. Add to that the debuts from Atramentus, Dirt Woman, Jointhugger, Acid Mess and Sergio Ch.’s Soldati, and you’ve got a batch of 20 records — some born of this year’s malaise, some working in spite of it — that vary in sound but are working to push their respective styles to new places one way or the other.

30. High Priestess, Casting the Circle

high priestess casting the circle

Released by Ripple Music. Reviewed May 5.

There was no shortage of anticipation for what L.A. cultists High Priestess would do to follow their 2018 self-titled debut (review here), and the three-piece did not disappoint, instead gave a ritual mass that included the 17-minute concept piece “Invocation” alongside infectious and ethereal melodies like “The Hourglass.” And now that the circle’s been cast? Seems like they can do anything.

29. Polymoon, Caterpillars of Creation

Polymoon Caterpillars of Creation

Released by Svart Records. Reviewed Oct. 12.

High-powered cosmic metal from Finland pulling apart heavy psychedelia on an atomic level with an urgency that speaks of youth, progress and an ingrained need for exploration? Sign me up. A lot of bands on this list put out their first album this year. There are few for whom my hopes are as high as they are for Polymoon. If you haven’t yet heard Caterpillars of Creation, do.

28. Sons of Otis, Isolation

Sons of Otis Isolation

Released by Totem Cat Records. Reviewed Sept. 30.

Of the sundry horrors 2020 wrought, a new album from long-running Toronto three-piece Sons of Otis was an unexpected positive, and their ultra-spaced, murky riffs on their first studio album since 2012’s Seismic (review here, also here) launched like a slow-motion escape pod of righteous doom (s)tonality. There will never be another Sons of Otis. Be thankful for everything you get from them.

27. Lamp of the Universe, Dead Shrine

Lamp of the Universe Dead Shrine

Released by Projection Records. Reviewed May 25.

Organ, Mellotron, sitar, acoustic and electric guitars, various percussion elements, and of course the inimitable fragility in Craig Williamson‘s voice itself — the ingredients for Lamp of the Universe‘s Dead Shrine were familiar enough for those familiar with the one-man outfit running more than two decades, but the lush acid folk created remains a standout the world over. Dead Shrine was a much-needed gift of peace and meditation.

26. BleakHeart, Dream Griever

bleakheart dream griever

Released by Sailor Records. Reviewed Nov. 18.

The debut album from Colorado’s BleakHeart collected pieces united by melody and overarching atmosphere, positioned stylistically somewhere around heavygaze or heavy post-rock, but feeling less limited to genre bounds than some others working in a similar sphere. As a first outing, it brought a promise of things to come even as the depths of its mix seemed to swallow the listener entirely, equal parts serving claustrophobia and escapism.

25. Pale Divine, Consequence of Time

Pale Divine Consequence of Time

Released by Cruz Del Sur Music. Reviewed June 3.

There is not enough space here to properly commend Pale Divine founding guitarist/vocalist Greg Diener on how much he opened up the band by bringing in his and drummer Darin McCloskey‘s former Beelzefuzz bandmate Dana Ortt on shared guitar, vocal and songwriting duties. Completed by Ron “Fezz” McGinnis on bass/vocals, Pale Divine are a refreshed and ready powerhouse of American traditional doom.

24. Uncle Woe, Phantomescence

uncle woe phantomescence

Released by Packard Black Productions. Reviewed Oct. 21.

One is going to have to get used to the idea of Uncle Woe residing in the places between, I think. An inward-looking cosmic doom that’s likewise morose and reaching, opaque and translucent, Phantomescence could be almost troubling in its feeling of off-kilter expression. Yet that’s exactly what multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Rain Fice was going for. Thriving on contradiction, exploratory, and individualized. Start from doom, move outward.

23. REZN, Chaotic Divine

rezn chaotic divine

Released by Off the Record Label. Reviewed Oct. 15.

I don’t feel like I’m cool enough to offer any substantive comment on what Chicago’s REZN do, but their sax-laced heavy psychedelia comes across warm and is invitingly languid while still delivered with a sense of energy and purpose. It rolls and you want to roll with it, so you do. They were clearly hurt by not being able to tour this year, as were audiences for not seeing them. Call them neo-stoner metal or whatever you want, these songs deserve to be played live.

22. Ruff Majik, The Devil’s Cattle

ruff majik the devils cattle

Released by Mongrel Records. Reviewed Oct. 29.

A revamped lineup for South African desert-ish heavy rockers Ruff Majik brought producer Evert Snyman in as co-conspirator with frontman/principal songwriter Johni Holiday, and found the former trio working as a five-piece with a broader sound underscored by an electric sense of purpose and willingness to push themselves to places they hadn’t gone before. Their third record, it seemed as well to be a new beginning, and they met the challenge head-on.

21. Curse the Son, Excruciation

Curse The Son Excruciation

Released by Ripple Music. Reviewed June 8.

The underheralded children of rolling fuzz riffage, Connecticut’s Curse the Son found new depths of emotion to bring to Excruciation — and I do mean “depths.” Dark times for dark times. Fueled by personal hardship, turmoil, motorcycle accidents and a pervasive sense of struggle, the LP was nonetheless a triumph of their songwriting and brought new melodic character to their established largesse of tone. Your loss if you missed it.

20. The Atomic Bitchwax, Scorpio

The Atomic Bitchwax Scorpio

Released by Tee Pee Records. Reviewed Aug. 26.

Business as usual in ferocious heavy/speed rock from The Atomic Bitchwax on Scorpio — and that was only reassuring since the band’s eighth full-length marked the first since the departure of guitarist/vocalist Finn Ryan and his replacing with Garrett Sweeny, a bandmate of founding bassist/vocalist Chris Kosnik and drummer Bob Pantella in Monster Magnet. They barely stopped to cool their heels and yet still managed to be catchy as hell. How do they do it? Jersey Magic.

19. Cinder Well, No Summer

cinder well no summer

Released by Free Dirt Records. Reviewed July 21.

Such pervasive melancholy could only be derived from Irish folk, and so it was on Cinder Well‘s No Summer, which managed to move between singer-songwriter minimalism from Amelia Baker and arrangements of deceptive and purposeful intricacy. Wherever it went, from traditional songs “Wandering Boy” and “The Cuckoo” to originals like “Fallen” and the nine-minute “Our Lady’s,” it was equal parts gorgeous and sad and resonant. It remains so, despite the fleeting season.

18. Pallbearer, Forgotten Days

pallbearer forgotten days

Released by Nuclear Blast Records. Reviewed Dec. 24.

Their fourth album and first since crossing the decade-mark since their inception, Pallbearer‘s Forgotten Days wasn’t just heavy, emotional or big-sounding; it was the most their-own of anything they’ve done. It felt exactly like the record they wanted it to be, and reconfirmed that the generation of listeners being introduced to doom by their music is going to be just fine if they follow the cues laid out for them here.

17. Slift, Ummon

slift ummon

Released by Stolen Body and Vicious Circle Records. Reviewed March 26.

Less a reinvention of space rock than a kick in its ass, Slift‘s Ummon pushed well past the line of manageability at 72 minutes and reveled in that. The French outfit were greeted as liberators when they released the album, and with the way the respect has been maintained in the months since they’ve given themselves a high standard to meet, but there’s only promise to be heard as you get lost in the nebular wash of this sprawling 2LP. They’ll have two more records out before this one’s fully digested.

16. My Dying Bride, The Ghost of Orion

my dying bride the ghost of orion

Released by Nuclear Blast Records. Reviewed Feb. 25.

The first album in half a decade from long-established UK death-doom forebears My Dying Bride found vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe coping with his daughter’s cancer diagnosis and translating that into the morose poetry for which the band is so well known and with which they’ve been so influential. My Dying Bride has never wanted for sincerity, but to call them affecting here would be underselling the quality of their craft and the heart they put into it. Follow-up EP is already out with extra non-album tracks.

15. Causa Sui, Szabodelico

causa sui Szabodelico

Released by El Paraiso Records. Reviewed Nov. 11.

Denmark’s Causa Sui may be on a mission to unite jazz and heavy psychedelia — and blessings on them for that — but the mellow jammy vibes they conjured on Szabodelico only emphasized how much it’s the character of what they do and the chemistry they’ve brought as bandmates that has allowed them to branch thusly in terms of aesthetic. It was the kind of album you wanted to put on again even before it was over, and its sweet instrumentals felt born to a greater timeline than a single year can encompass.

14. All Souls, Songs for the End of the World

All Souls Songs for the End of the World

Self-released. Reviewed Sept. 21.

I’m not a punk rocker, but All Souls make me wish I was. Their emotive and engaged heavy rock looks out as much as in on Songs for the End of the World — their second LP behind a 2018 self-titled debut (review here) — but it’s undeniably punk in its foundation, and what the four-piece of Antonio Aguilar and Meg Castellanos (both ex-Totimoshi), Erik Trammell (Black Elk) and Tony Tornay (Fatso Jetson) have put together builds on that in exciting, inventive and individualized ways, while staying nonetheless true to its roots.

13. Kind, Mental Nudge

kind mental nudge

Released by Ripple Music. Reviewed Oct. 20.

Five years after their debut album, Rocket Science (review here), Boston four-piece Kind return with Mental Nudge. And despite the different situations in which it finds the band’s members — bassist Tom Corino is now ex-Rozamov, drummer Matt Couto now ex-Elder — the group’s focus remains on carving memorable, mostly structured tracks out of ethereal heavy psychedelia, guitarist Darryl Shepard (Milligram, etc.) and vocalist Craig Riggs (RoadsawSasquatch, etc.) adding space and melody to the crunching, driving grooves.

12. Molassess, Through the Hollow

Molassess Through the Hollow

Released by Season of Mist. Featured Aug. 17.

Founded by vocalist Farida Lemouchi (ex-The Devil’s Blood) and guitarist Oeds Beydals (ex-Death Alley, also ex-The Devil’s Blood) and commissioned as a project for Roadburn Festival 2019 (review here), Molassess are inextricably tied to Lemouchi‘s groundbreaking former outfit and its tragic ending, but the musical branching out into darkened progressive textures on Through the Hollow isn’t to be understated. It was an album that pushed past the past, not overlooking it, but finding new ways of moving forward in life and sound.

11. Tony Reed, Funeral Suit

tony reed funeral suit

Released by Ripple Music. Reviewed Sept. 28.

While of course the Mos Generator frontman is no stranger to writing or recording on his own, Funeral Suit was Tony Reed‘s debut as a solo artist and it carried his progressive stamp in melody and arrangement. It was not just a guitarist playing acoustic instead of electric, and it was not a manifestation of self-indulgence. Whether it was reworking a Mos Generator song like “Lonely One Kenobi” or pursuing a new piece like the title-track or “Waterbirth,” Reed found balance between personal and audience, evoking traditional songsmithing even as he reminded listeners of his dual role as a producer.

10. Geezer, Groovy

Geezer Groovy

Released by Heavy Psych Sounds. Reviewed May 18.

Spectacular showing from Kingston kingpins Geezer with Groovy as their first offering for Heavy Psych Sounds. Led by guitarist/vocalist Pat Harrington, the three-piece brought material that flowed with the organic feel of jams despite being structured and catchy songs. In pieces like “Dead Soul Scroll” and “Drowning on Empty,” they melded stonerized groove with what felt like genuine emotional expression, and “Dig” and “Groovy” still managed to be a heavy fuzz-blues party. And they still had room at the end to jam out on “Slide Mountain” and “Black Owl.” It was nothing but a win, rising to the occasion on every level.

9. Big Scenic Nowhere, Vision Beyond Horizon

big scenic nowhere vision beyond horizon

Released by Heavy Psych Sounds. Reviewed Jan. 29.

So Bob Balch from Fu Manchu and Gary Arce from Yawning Man have a band. They get Tony Reed from Mos Generator on board. Mario Lalli from Yawning Man/Fatso Jetson comes and goes. Nick Oliveri comes and goes. Bill Stinson from Yawning Man plays drums. Alain Johannes sits in on vocals. Reed does a bunch of vocals; his kid does a track too. Per Wiberg from Spiritual Beggars, Opeth, Candlemass, etc., lends some keys. What do you call such a thing? Who cares? You call yourself lucky it exists. They called the record Vision Beyond Horizon. Can’t wait to find out what they call the next one.

8. Elder, Omens

elder omens

Released by Armageddon Shop and Stickman Records. Reviewed April 27.

Omens marked a new beginning for Elder as the band pushed deeper into the realm of progressive rock and beyond their weightier beginnings. The arrival of Georg Edert (also Gaffa Ghandi) on drums in place of Matt Couto shifted the band’s dynamic in a number of ways, providing not a swinging anchor for the rhythm section necessarily, but another avenue of prog fluidity. Bassist Jack Donovan brought a steady presence in the low end as guitarist/vocalist Nick DiSalvo and guitarist/keyboardist Mike Risberg embarked on new melodic explorations while staying loyal to the band’s established penchant for sweeping changes. Omens may live up to its name as a sign of things to come, but either way, it was a strong display of the band’s will to pursue new ideas and methods.

7. Forming the Void, Reverie

forming the void reverie

Released by Ripple Music. Reviewed April 15.

First words that come to mind here: “eminently listenable.” With seven tracks and 36 minutes, Reverie may not have taken up much of your afternoon… once. But by the time you gave it its proper respect and listened through three times in a row, the situation was somewhat different. The Lafayette, Louisiana, four-piece gracefully brought together structured songwriting with proggier leanings and were able to bring together rampaging hooks like “Trace the Omen” and “Manifest,” casting a sense of sonic hugeness without forgetting to add either melody or personality along with that. The band — who here welcomed bassist Thorn Letulle alongside guitarist/vocalist James Marshall, guitarist Shadi Omar Al-Khansa and drummer Thomas Colley — have worked quickly and evolved with a sense of urgency. Is Reverie the goal or another step on that path?

6. Grayceon, MOTHERS WEAVERS VULTURES

grayceon mothers weavers vultures

Released by Translation Loss Records. Reviewed Nov. 18.

Vocalist/cellist Jackie Perez Gratz (interview here), guitarist Max Doyle and drummer Zack Farwell comprise Grayceon, and with their fifth record, the band looks around thematically at environmental devastation through the lens of record-breaking California wildfires from their vantage point in the Bay Area. Even as the world shifted priorities (at least most of it did) to yet another global crisis in the COVID-19 pandemic, genre-melting-pot songs like “Diablo Wind,” “The Lucky Ones,” and “This Bed” reminded of the horrors humanity has wrought on its battered home, and still managed to find hope and serenity in “And Shine On” and “Rock Steady,” a closing duo that shifted to a more personal discussion of family and one’s hope for a better future for and by the next generation. 2020 had plenty of horror. At least we got a new Grayceon record out of it.

5. Brant Bjork, Brant Bjork

brant bjork brant bjork

Released by Heavy Psych Sounds. Reviewed April 28.

When Sho’Nuff asked Bruce Leroy “who’s the master?,” dude should’ve said Brant Bjork. It would’ve been a confusing end to Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon, but ultimately more accurate, as Brant Bjork‘s homegrown kung fu was unfuckwithable as ever on the album that shares his name. After two decades of solo releases in one form or another, Bjork is not just a pivotal figurehead for desert rock, he’s a defining presence, as well as one of its most treasured practitioners. Brant Bjork, the album, brought initial waves of funk in “Jungle in the Sound,” explored weedy worship in “Mary (You’re Such a Lady)” and toyed with religious dogma in offsetting that with “Jesus Was a Bluesman” while still tossing primo hooks in “Duke of Dynamite” and “Shitkickin’ Now” ahead of the more open “Stardust and Diamond Eyes” and the acoustic closer “Been So Long.” With Bjork recording all the instruments himself, a due feeling of intimacy resulted, and yet he still found a way to make it rock. How could it be otherwise?

4. Enslaved, Utgard

enslaved utgard

Released by Nuclear Blast Records. Reviewed Sept. 29.

Why do I feel the immediate need to defend this pick? I’m not sure. Norway’s Enslaved are an institution, not just of black metal, but of bringing an ideology of creative growth to that style that often willfully resists it. They are iconoclastic even unto their own work. Utgard was released as the band stood on the precipice of 30 years together and yet it stood as their most forward-looking offering yet, as co-founders Grutle Kjellson (bass/vocals) and Ivar Bjørnson (guitar/sometimes vocals), as well as longtime lead guitarist Arve “Ice Dale” Isdal backed up the change from 2017’s E (review here) that brought in new keyboardist/vocalist Hakon Vinje with the incorporation of drummer Iver Sandøy, who doubles as a vocalist (and triples as a producer). The “new blood” made all the difference on Utgard, allowing Enslaved to piece together new ranges of melody in their work and offset instrumental shifts into and out of krautrock-derived progressions. Simply the work of a band outdoing itself from a band who does so at nearly every opportunity.

3a. Colour Haze, We Are

colour haze we are

Released by Elektrohasch Schallplatten and Ripple Music. Reviewed Dec. 3, 2019.

Every year I allow myself one addendum pick, and this is it. We Are was on last year’s list because it was digitally released, but the vinyl came out this year and it received its North American release this year as well, so it seemed only right to acknowledge that. So here it is in its proper place.

3. All Them Witches, Nothing as the Ideal

All-Them-Witches-Nothing-as-the-Ideal

Released by New West Records. Reviewed Sept. 3.

This is a band controlling their own narrative. Instead of Nothing as the Ideal being ‘the one they made as a three-piece,’ the Nashville outfit decided to make it ‘the one they recorded at Abbey Road.’ Were they thinking of it on those terms? Yeah, likely not, but it goes to demonstrate all the same just how much of themselves All Them Witches put into what they do musically, since not only are they continuing to refine and define and undefine their approach, but they’re setting the terms on which they do it. Each of their records has been a response to the one prior, but that conversation has never been so direct as to make them predictable. So what are they chasing? Apparently nothing. I’m not entirely sure I buy that as a complete answer, but I am sure I love these songs and the experiments with tape loops and other sounds that fill these spaces. Whatever they do next — or even if nothing — their run has been incredible and exciting and one only hopes their influence continues to spread over the next however many years.

2. Elephant Tree, Habits

elephant tree habits

Released by Deathwish Inc.. Reviewed April 13.

There was a high standard set by Elephant Tree‘s 2016 self-titled debut (review here), but their second LP, Habits, surpassed even the loftiest of expectations. With vocals centered around harmonies from guitarist Jack Townley and bassist Peter Holland, the former trio completed by drummer Sam Hart brought in guitarist/keyboardist John Slattery (also sometimes vocals), and the resultant breadth gave the material on Habits spaciousness beyond even what the first album promised. Drifting, rolling, unflinchingly melodic and somehow present even in its own escapism, Habits was not just an early highlight for a rough 2020, but a comforting presence throughout, and the further one dug into tracks like “Sails,” “Exit the Soul,” “Faceless,” “Wasted” and the acoustic “The Fall Chorus,” the more there was to find — let alone “Bird,” which I’ll happily put against anything else one might propose for song of the year. As their former UK label crumbled, Habits emerged unscathed and Elephant Tree‘s future continues to shine with ever more hope for things to come. Being able to say that about anything feels like a relief.

2020 Album of the Year

1. Lowrider, Refractions

Lowrider Refractions

Released by Blues Funeral Recordings. Reviewed Jan. 24.

Twenty years ago, Sweden’s Lowrider put out what would become a heavy rock landmark in their 2000 debut, Ode to Io (reissue review here). A follow-up years in the making even after the band got back together to play Desertfest in London (review here) and Berlin in 2013, Refractions first saw limited release in 2019 as part of Blues Funeral‘s PostWax series (discussed here), but its proper arrival was in early 2020, and there was really no looking back after that. It wasn’t just the novelty of a new Lowrider album that made Refractions such a joy, but the manner in which the band went about its work. There was no pretending that 20 years didn’t happen. There was no attempt to recapture the bottled lightning that was the first record, and Lowrider did not sound like a band “making a comeback” rife with expectations and fan-service. Refractions acknowledged the legacy of Ode to Io, sure enough, but as a step toward adding to it in meaningful and engaging ways. The songs — “Red River,” “Ode to Ganymede,” “Sernanders Krog,” “Ol’ Mule Pepe,” “Sun Devil/M87” and the 11-minute finale “Pipe Rider” — were fashioned without pretense and came across as the organic output of a band with nothing to prove to anyone but themselves. They made it their own. In a wretched year, Lowrider shined.

The Top 50 Albums of 2020: Honorable Mention

Yeah, okay. There are a lot of these, so buckle in. Last year I just threw out a list of bands. This year I’m a little more organized, so here are bands and records alphabetically.

Across Tundras, LOESS ~ LÖSS
Across Tundras, The Last Days of a Silver Rush
Alain Johannes, Hum
Arboretum, Let it All In
Bell Witch & Aerial Ruin, Stygian Bough Vol. 1
Black Helium, The Wholly Other
Boris, No
Brimstone Coven, The Woes of a Mortal Earth
CB3, Aeons
Celestial Season, The Secret Teachings
Crippled Black Phoenix, Ellengæst
Cruthu, Athrú Crutha
Domo, Domonautas Vol. 2
DOOL, Summerland
Dopelord, Sign of the Devil
Dwaal, Gospel of the Vile
Elder Druid, Golgotha
Ellis Munk Ensemble, San Diego Sessions
Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou, May Our Chambers Be Full
EMBR, 1823
Familiars, All in Good Time
Forlesen, Hierophant Violent
Galactic Cross, Galactic Cross
The Heavy Eyes, Love Like Machines
Hum, Inlet
Human Impact, Human Impact
Humulus, The Deep
Jupiterian, Protosapien
Kariti, Covered Mirrors
Khan, Monsoons
Kingnomad, Sagan Om Ryden
King Witch, Body of Light
Kryptograf, Kryptograf
Light Pillars, Light Pillars
Lord Buffalo, Tohu Wa Bohu
Lord Loud, Timid Beast
Lotus Thief, Oresteia
Malsten, The Haunting of Silvåkra Mill
Mindcrawler, Lost Orbiter
Motorpsycho, The All is One
Mountain Tamer, Psychosis Ritual
Mr. Bison, Seaward
Mrs. Piss, Self-Surgery
Mugstar, GRAFT
Murcielago, Casualties
Oranssi Pazuzu, Mestarin Kynsi
Paradise Lost, Obsidian
Parahelio, Surge Evelia Surge
The Pilgrim, …From the Earth to the Sky and Back
Pretty Lightning, Jangle Bowls
Psychlona, Venus Skytrip
Puta Volcano, AMMA
Ritual King, Ritual King
River Cult, Chilling Effect
Rrrags, High Protein
Shores of Null, Beyond the Shores (On Death and Dying)
Sigiriya, Maiden – Mother – Crone
Six Organs of Admittance, Companion Rises
16, Dream Squasher
Slomosa, Slomosa
Somnus Throne, Somnus Throne
Steve Von Till, No Wilderness Deep Enough
Stone Machine Electric, The Inexplicable Vibrations of Frequencies Within the Cosmic Netherworld
Sumac, May You Be Held
Temple of the Fuzz Witch, Red Tide
Temple of Void, The World That Was
The Kings of Frog Island, VI
Tia Carrera, Tried and True
Turtle Skull, Monoliths
Uffe Lorenzen, Magisk Realisme
Ulcerate, Stare Into Death and Be Still
Vessel of Light, Last Ride
Vestal Claret, Vestal Claret
Vinnum Sabbathi, Of Dimensions and Theories
Wight, Spank the World
Wino, Forever Gone
Yatra, All is Lost
Yuri Gagarin, The Outskirts of Reality

By no means is that list exhaustive. And to look at stuff like Psychlona, Oranssi Pazuzu, Wight, Wino, Puta Volcano, Kingnomad, Ellis Munk Ensemble, Paradise Lost, Alain Johannes, Arbouretum, Uffe Lorenzen, Tia Carrera — on and on and on — I can definitely see where arguments are to be made for records that should’ve been in the list proper. I can only go with what feels right to me at the time.

Together with the top 50, this makes over 110 albums in the best of 2020. If you find yourself needing something to hang your hat on, be glad you’re alive to witness this much excellent music coming out.

Debut Album of the Year

Molassess, Through the Hollow

Molassess Through the Hollow

Other notable debuts (alphabetically):

Atramentus, Stygian
Bethmoora, Thresholds
BleakHeart, Dream Griever
Crystal Spiders, Molt
Dirt Woman, The Glass Cliff
Dwaal, Gospel of the Vile
Electric Feat, Electric Feat
Familiars, All in Good Time
Galactic Cross, Galactic Cross
Human Impact, Human Impact
Jointhugger, I Am No One
Light Pillars, Light Pillars
Love Gang, Dead Man’s Game
Malsten, The Haunting of Silvåkra Mill
Might, Might
Mindcrawler, Lost Orbiter
Mrs. Piss, Self-Surgery
Parahelio, Surge Evelia Surge
Polymoon, Caterpillars of Creation
Ritual King, Ritual King
SEA, Impermanence
Slomosa, Slomosa
Soldati, Doom Nacional
Somnus Throne, Somnus Throne
SpellBook, Magick & Mischief
Spirit Mother, Cadets
Temple of the Fuzz Witch, Red Tide
The Crooked Whispers, Satanic Melodies
White Dog, White Dog

Notes: I sparred with myself every step of the way here. The last couple years I’ve tried to give the top-debut spot to not just a new band, but a new presence. Green Lung, King Buffalo, etc. Molassess, with members from The Devil’s Blood, Death Alley and Astrosoniq, isn’t exactly that. So what do I do? Do I go with something newer like Polymoon, Dirt Woman, BleakHeart, SEA, White Dog or The Crooked Whispers, or something with more established players like Molassess, Soldati, or even Light Pillars?

In the end, what made the difference was not just how brilliant the songs on Molassess’ Through the Hollow, but how honestly the band confronted the legacy they were up against. The songs had a familiar haunting presence, but they were also moving ahead to somewhere new. It was that blend of old and new ideas, and the resonant feeling of emotional catharsis — as well as the sheer immersion that took place while listening — that ultimately made the decision. Turns out I just couldn’t escape it.

And why not a list? Because this feels woefully inadequate as it is. I reviewed over 250 records this year one way or another — and that’s a conservative estimate — but a lot gets lost in the shuffle and somehow it just seemed wrong this time around to call something the 13th best first record of the year. I wanted to highlight the special achievement that was the Molassess album, but really, all of these records kicked my ass one way or the other.

Short Release of the Year 2020

King Buffalo, Dead Star

King Buffalo Dead Star

Other notable EPs, Splits, Demos, etc.:

Big Scenic Nowhere, Lavender Blues
Coma Wall, Ursa Minor
Conan/Deadsmoke, Doom Sessions Vol. 1
Fu Manchu, Fu30 Pt. 1
Grandpa Jack, Trash Can Boogie
Howling Giant/Sergeant Thunderhoof, Masamune/Muramasa (split)
Oginalii, Pendulum
Kings Destroy, Floods
Lament Cityscape, The Old Wet
Limousine Beach, Stealin’ Wine +2
Merlock, That Which Speaks
Monte Luna, Mind Control Broadcast
Mos Generator/Di’Aul, Split
Pimmit Hills, Heathens & Prophets
Rito Verdugo, Post-Primatus
Rocky Mtn Roller, Rocky Mtn Roller
Spaceslug, Leftovers
10,000 Years, 10,000 Years
The White Swan, Nocturnal Transmission
Thunderbird Divine, The Hand of Man
Witchcraft, Black Metal

Notes: If you were wondering why King Buffalo’s Dead Star (review here) wasn’t on the big list, this is why. It was pitched to me as an EP and that’s how I’m classifying it. I’m taking the out. Is it an EP? Not really, but neither is it a full-length album, given its experimental nature and focus around its extended two-part title-track. Whatever it was, it was the best that-thing, and this is the category where such things go.

Again, tough choices after King Buffalo. Thunderbird Divine’s EP was wonderfully funk-blasted and woefully short (new album, please). The newly-issued Spaceslug EP branches out their sound in fascinating ways as a result of the lockdown. Witchcraft’s acoustic EP, Coma Wall’s EP and Big Scenic Nowhere’s EP all signaled good things to come, and Howling Giant’s split with Sergeant Thunderhoof was a highlight of the most recent Quarterly Review. There really isn’t a bummer on the list there, from the bitter psych of Oginalii to the industrial metal of Lament Cityscape, the unadulterated riffery of Merlock to the live-captured rawness of Monte Luna.

So again, why no list? Same answer. I want to highlight the progression King Buffalo made in their sound and leave room open elsewhere for things I missed. Please let me know what in the comments. Cordially.

Live Album of the Year 2020

Yawning Man, Live at Giant Rock

yawning man live at giant rock

Other notable live releases:

Ahab, Live Prey
Amenra, Mass VI Live
Arcadian Child, From Far, for the Wild (Live in Linz)
Author and Punisher, Live 2020 B.C.
Cherry Choke, Raising Salzburg Rockhouse
Dead Meadow, Live at Roadburn 2011
Dirty Streets, Rough and Tumble
Electric Moon, Live at Freak Valley Festival 2019
Kadavar, Studio Live Session Vol. 1
King Buffalo, Live at Freak Valley
Monte Luna, Mind Control Broadcast
Orange Goblin, Rough & Ready: Live and Loud
Øresund Space Collective, Sonic Rock Solstice 2019
Pelican, Live at the Grog Shop
SEA, Live at ONCE
Sumac, St Vitus 09/07/2018
Sun Blood Stories, (a)Live and Alone at Visual Arts Collective
Temple Fang, Live at Merleyn
YOB, Pickathon 2019 – Live From the Galaxy Barn

Notes: In this wretched year (mostly) void of live music, marked by canceled tours and festivals, the live album arguably played a more central role than it ever has, whether it was a band trying to keep momentum up following or leading into a studio release, taking advantage of the emergence of the Bandcamp Friday phenomenon or just trying to maintain some connection to their fans and the process of taking a stage. Or even playing in a room together. Or not a room. Anything. What was once a tossoff, maybe an afterthought companion piece became an essential worker of the listening experience.

You might accuse desert rock progenitors Yawning Man of playing to their base with Live at Giant Rock (featured here), and if so, fine. At no point in the last 50 years has that base more needed playing-to. And in the absence of shows, being able to hear (and watch, in the case of the accompanying video) Yawning Man go out to the landscape that spawned them and engage with their music was a beautiful moment of reconciliation. An exhale for the converted that didn’t fill one with empty promises of better tomorrows or tours to come, but served to remind what’s so worth preserving about the spirit of live music in the first place. The fact that anything can happen. A replaced note here, a tuning change there — these things can make not just an evening, but memories that go beyond shows, tours, to touch our lives.

There were a ton of live records this year. Some were benefits for worthy causes between saving venues, Black Lives Matter, voting rights organizations, and so on. And whether these were new performances from captured livestreams (Monte Luna, Kadavar) or older gigs that had been sitting around waiting for release at some point (Sumac, Dead Meadow), this, very much, was that point, and these live offerings kept burning a fire that felt at times very much in danger of being extinguished.

Looking Ahead to 2021

A list of bands. Some confirmed releases, some not. Here goes:

Dread Sovereign, Sasquatch, Year of Taurus, Apostle of Solitude, Weedpecker, Borracho, Love Gang, Jointhugger, Demon Head, Iron Man, Greenleaf, Samsara Blues Experiment, The Mammathus, Evert Snyman, Wo Fat, Conclave, Here Lies Man, Kabbalah, Komatsu, Hour of 13, Wedge, Amenra, La Chinga, Spidergawd, Wolves in the Throne Room, Vokonis, Freedom Hawk, Masters of Reality, ZOM, Eyehategod, Sanhedrin, Green Lung, The Mountain King, Albatross Overdrive, Elder, King Buffalo, Sunnata, Howling Giant, SAVER, Conan, Slomatics, Ruff Majik, Kind, Mos Generator, Yawning Sons, Lantlôs, Brant Bjork, Spiral Grave, Crystal Spiders, Lightning Born, Samavayo, Wovenhand, Merlock, Comet Control, The Age of Truth, Eight Bells, BlackWater Holylight, DVNE, Monte Luna.

Thank You

You’ve read enough, so I will do my best to keep this mercifully short. Thank you so much for reading — whether you still are or not — and thank you for being a part of the ongoing project that is The Obelisk. I cannot tell you how much it means to me to have such incredible support throughout not just this year, but all the years of the site’s existence. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you most of all to The Patient Mrs. for her indulgence in letting me get this done. I’m amazed forever.

More to come.

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All Them Witches Announce ‘Live on the Internet’ Streams for Dec. 19

Posted in Whathaveyou on November 30th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

all them witches

Hey, I’d watch two All Them Witches sets in a day. Different setlists? Yeah, that’s cool too, but honestly even if it was the same songs it wouldn’t be the same set, so I’ll take it as it comes. The clever name the Nashville three-piece have given the performances, ‘Live on the Internet,’ is of course a play on “Guess I’ll Go Live on the Internet” from 2017’s Sleeping Through the War (review here). The band also recently posted a video for “Rats in Ruin,” the consuming, subdued-until-it-isn’t closer of their latest LP, Nothing as the Ideal (review here) — which, judging by the results I’m seeing thus far from the year-end poll, you’ve already heard but is streaming at the bottom of this post anyway, along with said video.

The band previously announced a slew of Fall 2021 European tour dates as well, and they were just confirmed as part of the first batch of adds to SonicBlast Fest in Portugal in mid-August. Whether that means more dates are to be added, I don’t know, but if their tack is to sign on to as much as humanly possible now and see how it shakes out next year, one could hardly blame them. These live streams will be, as they note, their only shows of 2020. Among other things this wretched fucking year has stolen from humanity, it stole my chance to see them together with BlackWater HolyLight this past Spring, and for that, I will never forgive it.

Stream info from the PR wire:

all them witches live on the internet poster

ALL THEM WITCHES – ONLY SHOWS OF 2020!

Catch All Them Witches LIVE ON THE INTERNET Dec 19
TWO SETS: 2PM EST and 9PM EST

TICKETS HERE: https://allthemwitches.veeps.com/

Join us on Dec 19 at 2PM EST and/or 9PM EST for our only shows of 2020! We will be LIVE ON THE INTERNET performing 2 shows with 2 different set lists at Veeps.

The performance will remain available to view for 3 days following the livestream.

ALL THEM WITCHES 2021 EUROPEAN TOUR
SEPTEMBER
27th UK – BRIGHTON, Chalk Venue Brighton
28th UK – NOTTINGHAM, The Bodega
29th UK – GLASGOW, Saint Luke’s & The Winged Ox
30th UK – LEEDS, Brudenell Social Club
OCTOBER
1st UK – LONDON, Electric Ballroom
2nd Netherlands – AMSTERDAM, Paradiso Amsterdam
3rd Belgium – ANTWERP, Trix
6th Spain – MADRID, COOL Conciertos
7th Spain – BARCELONA, Sala Razzmatazz 2
9th Switzerland – LANGENTHAL, OldCapitol
10th Italy – MILAN, Santeria Toscana 31
11th Switzerland – ZURICH, Mascotte Club Zürich
12th Germany – MUNICH, Backstage Werk
13th Czech – PRAGUE, MeetFactory
14th Poland – WARSAW, Progresja
15th Germany – BERLIN, Huxleys Neue Welt
17th Germany, COLOGNE, Die Kantine
19th Germany, HAMBURG, Uebel und Gefährlich
20th Denmark, COPENHAGEN, Pumpehuset
22nd Norway, OSLO, Vulkan Arena
24th Finland, HELSINKI, TAVASTIA-klubi

All Them Witches is:
Charles Michael Parks, Jr – bass, vocals
Ben McLeod – guitar, vocals
Robby Staebler – drums, vocals

http://allthemwitches.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/allthemwitches
https://www.instagram.com/allthemwitchesband/
http://www.allthemwitches.org/
https://store.newwestrecords.com/

All Them Witches, “Rats in Ruin” official video

All Them Witches, Nothing as the Ideal (2020)

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All Them Witches Post “Rats in Ruin” Video

Posted in Bootleg Theater on October 19th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

all them witches rats in ruin

If you’re the type who likes to chase down visual metaphor, you’re going to need more than the nine minutes of the song itself to wade through all the images present in the new video from Nashville trio All Them Witches. Directed by Drea de Matteo and the band’s own Robby Staebler — who in addition to drumming also handles the vast majority of their graphic art and visual presence; you’ll note his editing and color work here are on-theme for his/the band’s style — the clip is layered in narrative and duly emotional dystopianism. “Rats in Ruin,” and yes, there are rats, and plenty, plenty of ruin as well, on just about any level one might look for it; personal, global, environmental, etc.

The song, as it would, comes from their new album, Nothing as the Ideal (review here), which like every good record released in 2020 is a victim of circumstance in that the band who would otherwise I think be in Europe right now or just finished a tour there, can’t be on the road to support it. If “Rats in Ruin” is serving double-duty in promoting Nothing as the Ideal and giving the three-piece an outlet for the sit-on-your-hands restlessness they and so many others are experiencing over these last eight months, then it’s slow-motion freneticism only makes more sense. Coupled with the initially minimalist song itself — I keep relating it in my head to Nirvana‘s “Something in the Way” in how it channels a quiet sense of space — and its later melodic push, the video is a particularly immersive undertaking. It’ll make sense when you watch.

All Them Witches have some US dates booked for March — Columbus, Baltimore, Pittsburgh area, and so on — one assumes because optimism. I think those are rescheduled from this past summer. It’s kind of hard to keep track by now what’s happening that’s supposed to have already happened or whatever. If those happen, shit, I’ll drive to Baltimore at that point to see these guys. Or if they want to come do a socially distant outdoor gig in the parking lot across from my house, that’s cool too. I’ll get permits and everything. I wonder what their guarantee is at this point.

Anyhoozle, there are Euro dates next Fall that seem more likely, but only because it’s farther away. Who the hell knows anything about anything about what the world will be like by Fall 2021?

Enjoy the video:

All Them Witches, “Rats in Ruin” official video

From the album ‘Nothing as the Ideal,’ available now: http://newwst.com/atwnatiID

Written/Directed by Robby Staebler and Drea de Matteo
Filmed by Robby Staebler, Ginger Gonzales, Alabama Jennings
Edited and Colored by Robby Staebler
Film Processing/ scanning by Spectra Film Lab

www.AllThemWitches.org

ALL THEM WITCHES 2021 EUROPEAN TOUR
SEPTEMBER
27th UK – BRIGHTON, Chalk Venue Brighton
28th UK – NOTTINGHAM, The Bodega
29th UK – GLASGOW, Saint Luke’s & The Winged Ox
30th UK – LEEDS, Brudenell Social Club
OCTOBER
1st UK – LONDON, Electric Ballroom
2nd Netherlands – AMSTERDAM, Paradiso Amsterdam
3rd Belgium – ANTWERP, Trix
6th Spain – MADRID, COOL Conciertos
7th Spain – BARCELONA, Sala Razzmatazz 2
9th Switzerland – LANGENTHAL, OldCapitol
10th Italy – MILAN, Santeria Toscana 31
11th Switzerland – ZURICH, Mascotte Club Zürich
12th Germany – MUNICH, Backstage Werk
13th Czech – PRAGUE, MeetFactory
14th Poland – WARSAW, Progresja
15th Germany – BERLIN, Huxleys Neue Welt
17th Germany, COLOGNE, Die Kantine
19th Germany, HAMBURG, Uebel und Gefährlich
20th Denmark, COPENHAGEN, Pumpehuset
22nd Norway, OSLO, Vulkan Arena
24th Finland, HELSINKI, TAVASTIA-klubi

All Them Witches is:
Charles Michael Parks, Jr – bass, vocals
Ben McLeod – guitar, vocals
Robby Staebler – drums, vocals

All Them Witches, Nothing as the Ideal (2020)

All Them Witches on Thee Facebooks

All Them Witches on Bandcamp

All Them Witches on Instagram

New West Records website

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All Them Witches Announce Fall 2021 European Tour Dates

Posted in Whathaveyou on September 17th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

So that’s where we’re at. Tours announced more than a year in advance. Okay. I mean, you can’t hold that against All Them Witches, right? They just put out a record and they’re (normally) a pretty hard-touring band. They gotta announce something. And the early part of 2021 seems to be jam-packed with stuff that got canceled this year, so next Fall would seem to be a less crowded time. But seriously, fuck.

You know what the worst part of it is? Of course you do. It’s “Who the hell knows what things will look like in a year?” Will Americans be allowed in other countries? Will they be allowed to leave their own? Will tours even be happening in a way that’s fiscally sustainable? Can they? It’s so hard to guess at any of it at this point all you can really do is look at a list of tour dates, shrug, and say, “Gosh I hope so.” So yeah. Gosh, I hope so.

All Them Witches‘ new record, Nothing as the Ideal (review here), is out now on New West. Stream it at the bottom of this post.

Here are the dates as put up by the band. One imagines some of the days between will be filled by fests yet TBA:

all them witches

JUST ANNOUNCED: 2021 EUROPEAN TOUR
tickets on sale Friday at 10AM CET

SEPTEMBER
27th UK – BRIGHTON, Chalk Venue Brighton
28th UK – NOTTINGHAM, The Bodega
29th UK – GLASGOW, Saint Luke’s & The Winged Ox
30th UK – LEEDS, Brudenell Social Club

OCTOBER
1st UK – LONDON, Electric Ballroom
2nd Netherlands – AMSTERDAM, Paradiso Amsterdam
3rd Belgium – ANTWERP, Trix
6th Spain – MADRID, COOL Conciertos
7th Spain – BARCELONA, Sala Razzmatazz 2
9th Switzerland – LANGENTHAL, OldCapitol
10th Italy – MILAN, Santeria Toscana 31
11th Switzerland – ZURICH, Mascotte Club Zürich
12th Germany – MUNICH, Backstage Werk
13th Czech – PRAGUE, MeetFactory
14th Poland – WARSAW, Progresja
15th Germany – BERLIN, Huxleys Neue Welt
17th Germany, COLOGNE, Die Kantine
19th Germany, HAMBURG, Uebel und Gefährlich
20th Denmark, COPENHAGEN, Pumpehuset
22nd Norway, OSLO, Vulkan Arena
24th Finland, HELSINKI, TAVASTIA-klubi

All Them Witches is:
Charles Michael Parks, Jr – bass, vocals
Ben McLeod – guitar, vocals
Robby Staebler – drums, vocals

http://allthemwitches.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/allthemwitches
https://www.instagram.com/allthemwitchesband/
http://www.allthemwitches.org/
https://store.newwestrecords.com/

All Them Witches, Nothing as the Ideal (2020)

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Album Review: All Them Witches, Nothing as the Ideal

Posted in Reviews on September 3rd, 2020 by JJ Koczan

All-Them-Witches-Nothing-as-the-Ideal

A band in a place. When the news came through in early March that Nashville’s All Them Witches — the three-piece of bassist/vocalist Charles Michael Parks, Jr., guitarist Ben McLeod and drummer/tape-looper/graphic-artist Robby Staebler — were recording their sixth full-length at Abbey Road Studios in London, and further, that they were bringing producer Mikey Allred along to helm the recording, it was enough to ignite the imagination as to what ghosts they might be able to conjure in that space. Without a doubt, Nothing as the Ideal — the title-line appearing amid the chugging tension and restless-foot kickdrum of opener “Saturnine & Iron Jaw” — is the most nuanced recording All Them Witches have ever done.

In the intentionally-left-there slight crack of Parks‘ voice past the midpoint of “The Children of Coyote Woman,” in the balance between torrential rhythmic intensity and ranging guitar on “Lights Out,” and in the quiet, subtle crackle of McLeod‘s standalone guitar in the two-minute instrumental “Everest,” which might in another context have been an interlude, but through whatever probably-legendary amplifier he’s playing through offers one of Nothing as the Ideal‘s most gorgeous moments of tonality. Perhaps a curious highlight, but it tells a lot of the story of the band’s fourth LP under the banner of New West Records in that it captures a stirring performance in likewise stirring detail. It is high-fidelity, not in the same way as the lush-sounding Sleeping Through the War (review here) from 2017 that their fifth album, 2018’s ATW (review here), seemed to be reacting against, but in a way that is more about the band reaching into themselves as artists.

Staebler‘s experimental bent that’s now manifest as well in the side-project Uvways shows up in cuts like “41,” “Rats in Ruin” and in transitions between songs, taking the place that up to this point was filled by keys or other arrangement elements from a fourth member of the band, be it Allan Van Cleave or the shorter-tenured Jonathan Draper, who appeared on ATW only. McLeod‘s progressive, sometimes aggressive turns of guitar are writ large throughout in the full dynamic breadth of his work, from “Everest” to the lead wash and coming-apart-at-the-seams jam at the end of 9:50 side A closer “See You Next Fall” and the crunching fuzz reminiscent of 2013’s Lightning at the Door (review here) that shows up on second track “Enemy of My Enemy” and the later “41.”

He too has a side-project in the instrumental and more metal-leaning Woodsplitter. And Parks, who turns verses into poetry readings here more than ever, obscure in his images painting Romulus and Remus as good ol’ boys on “The Children of Coyote Woman,” seeming to critique touring life in “See You Next Fall,” leading an invocation of unplugged Nirvana in the early going of nine-minute finale “Rats in Ruin,” and layering his voice to make a single out of “Enemy of My Enemy” even as later he seems to refuse to be wholly caught int the shove of “Lights Out.” Anytime he wants to spend a year or two wandering in the woods and put out an experimentalist Americana/neo-folk record, one doubts he’d meet with argument.

all them witches at abbey road

Nothing as the Ideal draws together these different sides of these three players and builds itself as one entirely using elements of each persona. Allred has been a friend of the band of long-standing. He produced their 2015 New West label debut, Dying Surfer Meets His Maker (review here), mastered the 2019 single “1 x 1” (discussed here) — among other works — and his knowledge of the band’s workings is all the more essential throughout these tracks as they recorded as a three-piece for the first time. It is no shock that the latest All Them Witches album sounds different from the one before it. They all do. But while they approach it with characteristic swagger and have perhaps inadvertently deflected the narrative via their choice of locale in Abbey Road, there’s no question that the former foursome taking on the task of presenting themselves as a trio is a big change.

They’re helped throughout by time they put in touring in such a configuration, as well as by Allred‘s work at the helm, and while Nothing as the Ideal takes the band to places they’ve never been in terms of aesthetic, it’s also more their own than they’ve ever been, transcending the heavy blues genre-forging of their earlier work while seeming still to draw from the abiding melancholy of Dying Surfer Meets His Maker and the organic weight of Lightning at the Door. This is coupled with the unmitigated, seemingly unceasing growth of ParksMcLeod and Staebler as creative individuals, and the coming together of the familiar with the new is perhaps as much a sonic signature as All Them Witches have, regardless of the lineup. From the ambient unfolding of “Saturnine & Iron Jaw” through the push and pull of “Enemy of My Enemy,” the resonance of “Everest,” the twists of “41” and the build of energy that seems to happen across that song and “Lights Out” leading to the quiet initial stretch of “Rats in Ruin” — which itself ends with a brief jam from the trio together that sounds like a coda for career to this point — Nothing as the Ideal wholly lives up to the standard its title sets.

It finds All Them Witches chasing not a preestablished idea of who they are or what their songwriting process is or should be, but their own creative impulses at the moment. They have excelled at this since 2012’s Our Mother Electricity (review here) served as their debut LP, and while their productivity in the years since is something in itself to be admired — six albums in eight years, along with EPs, live releases and countless digital one-offs, etc. — the expressionist aspects of their work, the continuing progression of their craft and the memorable impression their songs make all comes together on Nothing as the Ideal in what feels like an act of self-defiance as much as one of self-definition. As recognizable a band as they’ve become, one never knows what shape All Them Witches might take as they move forward. The fact that they’re still so rife with potential six albums into their career can only emphasize how special a band they truly are.

All Them Witches, Nothing as the Ideal (2020)

All Them Witches on Thee Facebooks

All Them Witches on Bandcamp

All Them Witches on Instagram

New West Records website

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Here’s the Bio I Wrote for All Them Witches’ Nothing as the Ideal

Posted in Features on August 20th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

Every now and again I get lucky and I do a bio like this, turn it in, and word comes back and it’s all, ‘hey that’s awesome all set on this end thanks here’s some cash.’ This was not one of those cases. I also wrote the bio for All Them Witches‘ 2018 album, ATW (review here), but still, this was a different story to tell and wanted to be told in a different way. The band had things they wanted to say. The label had things they felt needed to be said. And I had a few points as well to get across about Nothing as the Ideal, which is out Sept. 4 on New West Records, whether it was about their making an album as a three-piece for the first time, their ongoing progression, tape-loop experimentation, or the simple fact that they recorded at frickin’ Abbey Road. There’s usually a fair amount to talk about with these guys, but this time around it seems like even more so.

But we got there, which is what matters. In the end, I went through a couple of drafts, interviewed Robby Staebler and Ben McLeod both, then ended up completely scrapping what I had and starting over. That, of course, was the final version. It was my favorite too.

And here it is:

all them witches

All Them Witches – Nothing as the Ideal bio

From the brimming light of the lead guitar on opener “Saturnine & Iron Jaw” to the mellow grunge unfolding in the finale “Rats in Ruin,” Nothing as the Ideal is a signature All Them Witches release, which of course means it sounds like nothing they’ve ever done before.

The Nashville trio thrive on contrast. Now six records deep into a tenure that began in 2012, they are unremittingly forward-looking, and while signature elements can be found throughout Nothing as the Ideal – from guitarist Ben McLeod’s prog-tinged explorations to the slacker-soul vocals of bassist Charles Michael Parks, Jr., to the restless energy and rhythmic nuance in Robby Staebler’s drum patterns – it is also their most experimental work to-date.

But contrast is the key: Tape loops coincide with unplugged minimalism. They recorded it in a strange place with a familiar producer. It’s their heaviest album marked by their broadest atmospheres, intimate and pummeling. It is unquestionably theirs even as it will no doubt engender ownership in anyone who hears it.

Nothing as the Ideal might forever be known as “the album All Them Witches made at Abbey Road.” Fair enough. You don’t record in a legendary studio surrounded by mics The Beatles used, sitting on the bench where John Lennon tracked the acoustic guitar for “A Day in the Life” without acknowledging that history. There’s no getting away from it.

Where Nothings as the Ideal triumphs, however, is in making that space and that history the band’s own. Working with Mikey Allred, who previously produced 2015’s New West label debut, Dying Surfer Meets His Maker, and has done other mixing and mastering along the way, All Them Witches not only did justice to the moment they were capturing – the sheer adventure of being there, doing that thing – but answered the call of their inspiration as they always do.

It wasn’t supposed to be that way. The idea was to take time, do it themselves. But after spending the early part of 2019 constructing a studio in a church outside Nashville where Staebler was living and writing, writing, writing, the band came up against the deadline of a 35-date European arena tour with Ghost and had the single “1×1” to show for it. They put that song out, did a video, and after the tour, redirected their purposes. With the momentum of playing every night behind them, Nothing as the Ideal at last began to take shape.

Abbey Road might not have been the plan, but with the harder deadline of recording dates locked in, All Them Witches were able to focus more clearly. It wasn’t about applying pressure, but about doing what best served the songs. With Allred as the trusted party at the helm, they succeeded in crafting a defining moment for who they are as a band, with each player’s personality coming together to create a fluidity that is unique unto them.

Whatever they’ve done in the past, whatever they’ll do next, Nothing as the Ideal epitomizes the literal and figurative journey All Them Witches have made, and it is to be treasured all the more for that.

All Them Witches, “Lights Out”

All Them Witches, “The Children of Coyote Woman” official video

All Them Witches, “Saturnine & Iron Jaw”

All Them Witches on Thee Facebooks

All Them Witches on Bandcamp

All Them Witches on Instagram

New West Records website

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All Them Witches Announce New Album Nothing as the Ideal out Sept. 4

Posted in Whathaveyou on June 5th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

all them witches at abbey road

All Them Witches will release their sixth long-player, Nothing as the Ideal, on Sept. 4 through New West Records. To go along with the album announcement, they’re streaming the opening song from the release, “Saturnine and Iron Jaw,” and you can find it below.

I recently had the pleasure of writing the bio for the album — still need to turn in the invoice, actually — and in talking to guitarist Ben McLeod and drummer Robby Staebler for that, it became even easier to get excited about the forthcoming collection. I’ll post that bio here at some point, and would do it now except I’m not sure if I have permission yet. So maybe later on. Still a while before September gets here anyhow.

Independent of each other, Staebler and McLeod both cited it as the work of which they’re most proud among their releases. Fair enough for any band with a new album, but the record is indeed progressive in ways they’ve never been before, their first recording as a trio allowing them to explore more direct, weighted tones, minimalist atmospheres and the use of ambient tape loops for an experimental feel throughout that ties seemingly disparate ideas together.

So, yeah, more to come. And of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t note they recorded Nothing as the Ideal at Abbey Road Studio in London. You might have heard of it, kind of a big deal. So there’s that too.

The announcement was basically the tracks and the song, and here it is:

All-Them-Witches-Nothing-as-the-Ideal

ALL THEM WITCHES – Nothing as the Ideal

We all need to stand together. Higher sense of perception. Nothing. That’s the ideal. Gentle hand of confusion. Lead me back to myself.

NEW ALBUM – NOTHING AS THE IDEAL??
OUT 9/4
PRE-ORDER NOW http://newwst.com/atwnatiFA
SONG PREMIERE

Tracklisting:
01. Saturnine & Iron Jaw
02. Enemy of My Enemy
03. Everest
04. See You Next Fall
05. The Children of Coyote Woman
06. 41
07. Lights Out
08. Rats in Ruin

Produced by ATW and Mikey Allred
Mixed / Mastered: Mikey Allred
Assistant Engineer: Neil Dawes

All Them Witches is:
Charles Michael Parks, Jr – bass, vocals
Ben McLeod – guitar, vocals
Robby Staebler – drums, vocals

http://allthemwitches.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/allthemwitches
https://www.instagram.com/allthemwitchesband/
http://www.allthemwitches.org/
https://store.newwestrecords.com/

All Them Witches, “Saturnine & Iron Jaw”

All Them Witches, “1×1” official video

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