Illustrations by Harry Williams
Awhile ago, post-rock had a kind of heyday. There were the obvious big players of post-rock – Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, and then there was A Silver Mount Zion, who are actually a kind of offshoot of Godspeed. It seemed like for a part of my life all I listened to was post-rock. Explosions in the Sky even ‘made it big’ when they provided the soundtrack to the film Friday Night Lights.
Nowadays, however, Godspeed have sounded the death knell with the announcement of an ‘indefinite hiatus’, and there hasn’t been much heard of late from either Explosions in the Sky or Mogwai (although it’s worth pointing out that Mogwai performed at Field Day last year, and it was testament to their status that people battled through the dark and drizzle for their entire set).
But let’s not go too far mourning the death of post-rock, because A Silver Mount Zion are still preaching the gospel, even if it is a slightly modified one. It sounds more and more that A Silver Mount Zion are moving away from their earlier, more stereotypical post-rock sound, and this is most notable with their latest album’s use of vocals. A Silver Mt Zion shouldn’t just be thought of as another post-rock act. They’re political, they’re comical, they play violins, they play double bass, they sing, and most importantly they have substance. On top of all this they have the best titles for their work – for example their first album and its unwieldly title (He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms…).
Much of the show was newer material, although they opened with ‘I Fed My Metal Bird the Wings of Other Metal Birds’ from their most recent album. In total they only played five or six songs, although each song was a good 7 minute piece. I’m even reluctant to refer to them as songs, when really they seem more like compositions. There’s no standard verse and chorus, and each piece had a constantly shifting ebb and flow. One thing’s for certain – they were never boring.
On stage, the band emanates a feeling of pleasant unity, never more especially so than when all members of the band blend their instruments and their voices into a whole. Although there’s a lot going on, you can still clearly hear and appreciate the individual contributions. Efrim might be a reluctant leader, but he still leads, and manages to do so without overpowering the others.
The only criticism I have of them was the excessive band-to-audience banter. After a while it got old – it was clear most of the people there just wanted to hear the music.
A Silver Mt Zion’s support also deserves an honourable mention, even if for the sole reason of sharing a surname with me. Alexander Tucker is a lone man with a violin, and a lot of loops. I imagine you’re leaping to Owen Pallett right now, but where Pallett is twee, Tucker is all seriousness. With furrowed brow (which, coincidentally, is also the name of his album) he poured his heart out into both the violin and the two microphones for a series of lengthy songs that never really seemed to go anywhere. I spent his entire set veering wildly between thinking I was starting to like his sound, and wishing he’d get on with something definite. The looping violin and contrived noises all sounded a bit too much like a lengthy tune up, and frequently made me feel impatient.
Tags:
A Silver Mount Zion, A Silver Mt. Zion, Emma Tucker, Explosions In The Sky, Field Day, Friday Night Lights, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Harry Williams, live, mogwai, post-rock, review
