Earth — Hibernaculum
Though the tracks on the first disk will be familiar to most long term Earth fans, they’ve managed to imbed them with a new dark rolling plains heart. With extra sound textures adding above the basic guitar,drums and bass setting by Steve Moore utilizing piano, Hammond organ and trombone. With Greg Anderson adding in some nice Korg touches on the first two tracks too. Though it still possesses the feeling of a black and white photographed America of Hex, this feels more varied and not so barren. With a new found understanding of instrumental layering making the woodland pictures that feature in the cd’s booklet seem very apt. This is a more fertile musical environment than Hex’s often windswept desert charms. It will be interesting to see how their sound develops for the next album.
The second disks documentary has some revealing and interesting moments along the way, but sadly for the most part is rather badly filmed and edited together. Live footage is often cut short in the middle of tracks; actually we don’t see one full song from beginning to end in the whole thing. The interviews more often than not are badly miked-up making it very difficult and near on impossible to hear what the often softly spoken Dylan Carlson is saying in some of the documentary. I can see that the documentary makers are trying to get the feeling of being on the road touring, but it’s just thrown together in such an amateurish and ill-conceived manner. A real pity and a lost opportunity.
On the whole a worthwhile purchase, with the first disk being an enjoyable more textured and rich take on the bands sound and a great snap shot of their developing sound. It’s just a pity more time and effort couldn’t have been taken on the shabby documentary.