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Soon Premiere “Burning Wood” from Debut Album Vol. 1

Posted in audiObelisk, Reviews on February 19th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

soon-vol-1

[Click play above to hear “Burning Wood” from Soon’s debut, Vol. 1. Album out March 4 on Temple of Torturous.]

Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based four-piece Soon offer up their aptly-titled debut full-length, Vol. 1, on March 4 via Temple of Torturous. As 35 minutes/eight tracks, it is a substantial-enough long-player, but it covers a scope even broader than its runtime might lead one to believe, and while the group trace their lineage to more indie-minded outfits The Love Language, Bitter Resolve and Grohg, the explorations contained here, from the rolling groove of opener “We are on Your Side” to the drone ritual closer “Rise,” feel geared most of all toward establishing, developing and generally screwing around with a new sonic identity. That is to say, Vol. 1 is a varied collection of tracks that doesn’t feel hindered by genre one way or another, and a decent portion of its persona comes from that will to move beyond various sonic boundaries.

That Soon — the four-piece of guitarist/vocalists Stuart McLamb and Mark Connor, bassist/vocalist Robert Walsh and drummer/vocalist Thomas Simpson — do this while sounding natural in their songwriting and changes makes the debut all the more impressive. A couple plucked acoustic notes intro “We are on Your Side” before the full-toned electric guitar kicks in, and a shoegazing verse takes hold around a minute in to build tension before the chorus, which uses multiple singers and has a doom-pop anthem feel to it, tripping into late-’60s guitar soloing as if they hadn’t already melded enough styles together. After another verse and chorus, they end acoustic and the sub-three-minute “Burning Wood” takes chugging hold backed by keyboard and a driving riff that somehow still acts as a vocal showcase. The second cut is steadier and more stylistically settled, but “See You Soon” fleshes out a grungier side and makes it clear that Soon haven’t yet shown their full breadth. So it is that “Gold Soul” includes particularly impressive vocal harmonies and strings to add a post-Morricone vibe to its dense riffing and additional percussion behind its guitar solo in the second half, none of which sounds overly kitchen-sink or out of place.

soon

No small feat to create a mix deep enough to accommodate, but Soon have a decidedly tossoff feel to nearly everything on Vol. 1, like they plugged in that day and that’s what happened to come out. In fact, that may be true, but as “Gold Soul” gives way to the more stripped down, snare-heavy “Glass Hours,” another side of their blend of psychedelic sludge, thick tones and melodic consciousness comes to the fore, partially reviving the likes of “Burning Wood” and “See You Soon,” but also given a different context through the subsequent “Mauveine,” which also features a string arrangement but is centered around melancholy acoustic strumming and a wistful vocal line. The underlying sense of space keeps it cohesive with its surroundings, but “Mauveine” is a conscious departure from a lot of what Vol. 1 aims toward, and that’s very clearly the idea. It also sets up the closing tracks, “Datura Stramonium” and “Rise,” which are the two longest inclusions and wildly different from each other. Harmonized vocals again tie “Datura Stramonium” to the rest, but there’s a howl and sparkle in the guitar that I can’t seem to separate in my mind from U2 from when they were (allegedly) good, though atop a flurry of tom runs they deliver both a scorching psychedelic wash of noise and a satisfyingly weighted finish, which lets “Rise” round out the album with a six-and-a-half-minute drone/chant assault, marked out by sporadic turns in the guitar and a SunnO)))-style backing for choral melody.

I won’t say the pairing doesn’t work, because it does, but it’s a challenging finish nonetheless, and this too is quite obviously intentional. In combination with its surroundings, “Rise” serves to point out the sort of dual nature of Soon‘s debut, which is that it has these complex aesthetic ideas that it portrays as though they were the simplest thing in the world. Well of course you’d go from the acoustic downer into weighted alt psych-pop into the drone metal finish! It’s almost too obvious! Meanwhile, the listener’s head is left spinning after the band has capped “Rise” with immersive low end and finished the record cold. It is an ambitious first offering preceded only by a couple digital demos, and it seems to so easily accomplish what it sets out to do that it’s deceptive the first couple times listening, you have to go back and make sure you heard what you just heard. Fortunately, they make those return trips worthwhile in the richness of the album as a whole.

Soon on Thee Facebooks

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Soon at Earsplit Compound

Soon at Temple of Torturous

Temple of Torturous on Bandcamp

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Soon to Release Vol. 1 on March 4

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 22nd, 2016 by JJ Koczan

soon

You might have had to work to find them, but Soon have had a couple demos posted on YouTube since July 2014. Both of those tracks, which you can hear below, will appear on the drone-psych-heavygaze four-piece’s debut, Vol. 1, which is due out on March 4 via Temple of Torturous. Presumably the band and the album will answer the question of when then will be now, but either way, the demos provide a decent first glimpse at what probably will have reshaped some in the interim but is still a pretty significant breadth, drawing on Eastern themes and SunnO)))-style droning alike. I doubt that’s the entire scope of the record, but it’s significant for two tracks.

For more info, we turn to the PR wire, which if nothing else makes me feel as out of the loop as I am for not knowing the indie bands that the members of Soon also play in. Whoops:

soon vol 1

SOON: Transcendental Rock Unit Featuring Members Of The Love Language, Bitter Resolve And Grohg To Release Debut Full-Length Via Temple Of Torturous March 4th; Artwork + Track Listing Revealed

It’s easy to reduce SOON to superficial contradictions. After all, who would’ve thought singer/guitarist Stuart McLamb and drummer Thomas Simpson of indie stars The Love Language would emerge with this righteously heavy offshoot?

However SOON’s Vol. 1 debut, set for release via Temple Of Torturous this March, quickly dissolves the easy narrative of acclaimed popsmith taking the left hand path toward heavy metal. What’s more obvious is the immediate chemistry between McLamb and Simpson, bassist Rob Walsh (Bitter Resolve) and guitarist Mark Connor (Grohg).

Though SOON employs the heavy, distorted riffing and contemplative pacing of doom, the band shares none of the genre’s antagonistic, abyss-gazing tropes. It’s dynamic, melodic and adventurous. The Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based quartet pulled from a deep well of influence and experience in crafting its eight-song LP. SOON spent a concentrated week of revising and tracking, plus two months of tinkering, at the Greensboro studio Legitimate Business with engineer Kris Hilbert (Torch Runner, Between The Buried And Me, The Body) at the helm.

If SOON has a signature, it’s the unlikely pairing of heavy doom and elegant melody. Simpson and Walsh conjure storms in the low-end, while McLamb and Connor balance mettle and melody, shading these songs with psych-rock textures and melodic finesse. Rather than using their low, slow riffs as dredging sinkholes, deliberate momentum turns meditative-with strong forward pushes devoid of any dead weight. Airy melody and psychedelic flourishes keep these songs nimble and even pop-oriented. The balance of power and grace evokes more triumph than decay, but never sacrifices its grand heft. Standout tracks “We Are On Your Side” and “See You Soon” are bursting affirmations that ride heavy groundswell for a powerful uplift. Eager to push their boundaries, “Mauveine” is a stately dirge that uses sparse acoustic strums and somber strings to showcase McLamb’s rich croon. While “Rise” summons a deep otherworldly drone to form a foundation for a funereal incantation.

SOON is undoubtedly a departure from any of its members’ past efforts, but the band’s casual formation and openness to exploration yields a compelling new entity. SOON’s enveloping debut is as much a product of deliberate focus as it is the offspring of laid-back jam sessions and weekend cookouts. [words by Bryan C. Reed]

Vol. 1 Track Listing:
1. We Are On Your Side
2. Burning Wood
3. See You Soon
4. Gold Soul
5. Glass Hours
6. Mauveine
7. Datura Stramonium
8. Rise

SOON’s Vol. 1 will see release on CD, LP and digitally via Temple Of Torturous on March 4th, 2016 with preorders and track premieres to be announced in the coming weeks.

http://www.soonisonyourside.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/soonisonyourside
http://www.instagram.com/soonisonyourside
http://www.twitter.com/SOON_NC
http://www.templeoftorturous.com
http://www.facebook.com/ToTRecords
http://www.templeoftorturous.bandcamp.com

Soon, “Datura Stramonium” demo

Soon, “Rise” demo

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