the of mirror eye

* The Goslings: Croatan (9.5 mb) | Golden Stair (12.0 mb)
From Grandeur Of Hair : Archive Recordings : archive 23

One of my favorite labels of late has been Archive Recordings. Archive specializes in beautifully pakaged limited run psychedelic/doom metal/noise releases. With a roster including everyone from Keiji Haino, to Sunn0))), to Bardo Pond, Archive releases run the gamut of outsider music.

So, I decided to take a chance on this band, The Goslings, when Grandeur Of Hair popped up on the Archive site. And whoo-doggy am I impressed. Apparently, The Goslings are Max and Leslie Soren (I’m not sure if that’s brother/sister or husband/wife), along with a rotating cast, putting out some of the fiercest noise pop out there. The album is filled with super over-loaded, reverb/echo drenched instruments, with some nice vocals floating on top of it all.

This may be the new definition of splendid skronk heaviness. It doesn’t hurt that they went analog for the recording — the tracks were recorded in 2005 on 1/2″ tape, perfect for a band driven by large, reverberating avalanches of fuzzed-out drone and feedback — or that James Plotkin mastered it; this is one of the densest, heaviest, and loudest drone-rock albums I’ve ever heard. Max and Leslie Soren remain at the core of the band’s sound, with her droning, wispy voice buried under piles of slo-mo bass heaviness and shrieking guitar feedback, but this time around they have some guests (three different drummers and Does guitarist Neddal Ayad on two of the album’s heaviest tracks, “sanibel” and “haruspex”), which adds some interesting layers and textures (not to mention an actual beat, even though it’s frequently obscured) to the swirling sonic chaos. (The One True Dead Angel)

I haven’t had too much time to listen to this album yet, but I’ll tell ya, there’s something nice going on under all that sonic fuzz. And I’m excited to delve into the depths of these songs.

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