Sunn Amps Always Set-Up In The Northwest: Dylan Carlson's Solid "Gold"

When you need a film score for a period piece set in the wiles of the Canadian West, Dylan Carlson may not be the obvious choice. Yet, that is exactly whom director Thomas Arsian tapped for his newest feature film Gold. A foreign-language drama that takes places during the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1800s where the discovery of the movie’s namesake is the guiding principle of being. An odd paring at first glance but this collaboration turns out to be proper inspiration for a solid piece of electric guitar work.

Gold the original soundtrack by Dylan Carlson released under his recent handle of Drcarlsonalbion has succeeded in creating a guitarscape on par with the showiness of nature that is the Canadian backdrop of this film. Mr. Carlson’s 24 guitar compositions (titled Gold Parts I – XXIV) come across as a singular vision echoing the best elements of other notable six string heavy soundtracks such as Neil Young’s ominous arrangements in Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man and Jonny Greenwood’s stark string work on P.T. Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. Appropriately country-tinged at times, meditatively repetitious in others but always full of mysterious open spaces and creative, emotive sounds; Mr. Carlson’s creation triumphs with only the occasional accompaniment of percussion to provide a sense of containment to the vastness of his sound. Mr. Carlson plays with a distinctively slow hand, turning every strum of his electric guitar into a mission statement. Fuck Eric Clapton, Mr. Carlson is the real slow hand using this soundtrack as a showcase of his trademark powers in patience, atmosphere, feedback and sustain.

The Drcarlsonalbion name is a new addition to the Dylan Carlson brand. Having cut his teeth in the early nineties with his band Earth, a nearly ten year break followed before being convinced to come back to, dare I say, Earth. In that elapsed time, his underappreciated musical vision had taken hold and there were now bands, labels and a whole niche genre of music waiting eagerly to back any new offerings he coaxed out of his guitar. Out of this arrangement, a new Earth was born- eventually becoming less caustic and droning with the addition of new layers such as string arrangements, horns, country influenced guitar and an underarching, overlying nod to nature, history and spirituality. Drcarlosnalbion is an extension of that newfound dimension originally using this moniker to indulge his anglo-interests in the “folklore/history of cunning-folk and fairy-faith in the British Isles”. However, it appears he is now expanding his interests into other areas of the British Empire by focusing on Canada and/or possibly lending the Drcarlsonalbion name to all other recordings outside of the Earth imprint.

Over twenty years have passed since his earliest forays into feedback and Dylan Carlson continues to evolve at his own slow revolutionary pace. 2014 looks to be Mr. Carlson’s most prolific year on record with at least two more releases on the horizon- Earth’s new full length Primitive & Deadly and Drcarlsonalbion’s long gestating and Kickstarted Wonders From The House of Albion. For his devotees, both Gold and the overall outlet of Drcarlsonalbion serve as another reason to feel the gods are just and smiling upon them. As for Mr. Carlson himself, a career renaissance continues with this premiere trek into the soundtrack wilderness with a stellar, low-pulsed album. While borrowed from the film’s title, Gold turns out to be an apt descriptor for this album as well- an embarrassment of riches to be found by the dedicated listener from a deep vein of musical resource and vision.

Real Estate Becomes A Buyer's Market With Latest Release "Atlas"

Atlas the third full-length album from real life Jersey boys, Real Estate, is a welcome addition to their growing musical cannon. Having just started in the late Aughts, three proper albums in less than five years (with two on the venerable Domino Recording Company) is quite an accomplishment. At this point in their career, one starts to consider the word longevity which sounds odd as half a decade doesn’t seem long enough to justify that notion. However, the proof is in the songs on this album which are incredibly strong with proper hooks, sing-along choruses and hummable melodies (if you do that sort of thing). Regardless of the fickle attitude of the genre in which they began, indie rock, where a band can rise and fall in a week’s time- their radio friendly vocals and underlying pop sensibilities guarantee an audience for this band until they make the decision to pull the plug.

Atlas has everything this band does well; instrumentals (April’s Song), ready for radio singles (Talking Backwards) and showcasing their original sound (Had To Hear). Honestly, there isn’t one song on this record that doesn’t have at least one part that will stick in your head for days to follow. Currently, I am having difficulty getting the closing guitar line of the song “The Bend” out of my head. It’s pretty much a dead ringer for a Jimmy Page in his heyday riff but different enough that it wouldn’t hold up in court. Another band that Real Estate would list as an influence, Pavement, also have a certain guitar line in the song “Type Slowly” which seems to pay homage to the same muse. Don’t feel bad for Jimmy Page though, he notoriously ripped off many an artist in his time- Jake Holmes, the band Spirit and the whole of the Mississippi Delta Region- so this only seems fitting.

Originally released earlier this year in March, Atlas seems to be finding its stride right as summer is starting to take hold for its annual three month reign. This is a perfect compliment to the season- floating guitar lines, breezy melodies and a laid back feel that subconsciously decompresses everything between your headphones. Not that this is a surprise, or more specifically, not as surprising as Real Estate’s self-titled first album on Woodsist Records. A debut record that was a revelatory breath of fresh air at the time. It was also the introduction to many of their particular New Jersey music scene that found it’s way onto the Underwater Peoples record label. A home to Real Estate’s first single and band member’s other projects such as Ducktails and Alex Bleeker and the Freaks as well as solo material from Andrew Cedermark of Titus Andronicus and ethnomusicologist/guitarist Julian Lynch just to name a few. The songs on Real Estate’s debut lp were rough around the edges but the pop heart of each song jumped out of the speakers. It turned out to be the perfect snapshot of talented musicians finding their sound while simultaneously realizing the vastness of their possible future. Their second record Days was a typical sophomore album, positively reviewed but not as strong as their first, yet it found them making strides in other areas. Outwardly, by signing to Domino which upgraded their marketing and distribution, and inwardly by solidifying their line up with the exit of drummer Etienne Pierre Duguay and the entering of his replacement Jackson Pollis along with an additional guitarist/keyboardist (currently Matt Kallman).

Atlas finds Real Estate at their most confident, polished and professional. Their upcoming tour brings them to the New York City area playing the largest local venue of their career to date. At album three, their appeal appears to still be growing and expanding while, most importantly, finding a path outside of the “buzz bin” (to borrow a term from the 90s) indie music scene that is a notorious runaway bride. While their music is rooted in pop, it displays the best possible uses of the term, creating catchy and memorable songs that do not fall out of favor and become disposable six months down the road. Like a photovoltaic cell, this band has done nothing but increase its power with their time in the limelight allowing them to be at their strongest and most self-assured at the exact right time. Quality musicianship and flawless career steps seem to scream that this band will continue to grow as the years melt away. In a heartbeat, a fifteen or twenty year career will be in their rear-view mirror. In that long career, Atlas will find its place in the band’s vast catalog as their first fully realized, classic album.