Record Preview: Weird Owl, “Ever The Silver Cord Be Loosed”
BY SASHA LEE
Release Date: Feb 17, 2009
Brooklyn’s Weird Owl recently signed to Tee Pee records and are readying to release their debut album, “Ever The Silver Cord Be Loosed.” Their sound pays homage to Neil Young’s earlier electrified work with Crazy Horse, before a man needed a maid or despaired the needle and the damage done. In particular, parts recall to mind Neil Young’s album “On The Beach,”– it wouldn’t surprise me if these guys were imbibing the notorious “Honey Slides” (sauteed pot in honey cooked on the stove) that were heavily consumed during that album- and made slide guitarist Rusty Kershaw think he was a python hissing on the floor around Neil Young’s legs. Actually, that being said, Weird Owl sort of sounds exactly like Rusty Kershaw dropping his slide guitar and instead slithering around like a drugged out riff hovering around Neil’s legs. Their slippy, trippy hints at punishing riffs mixed with certain hallucinatory softness (like they’re too fucked up to punch you in the gut the way Sabbath would) push them more in the direction of Hawkwind. Like 13th Floor Elevators sinister cover of “Its All Over Now Baby Blue,” slowing the tempo to a frightening mushroom-induced halt, Weird Owl sounds as if they’re stretching some sort of southern rock folk and resituating it within a Dead Meadow.
Perhaps one of my favorite tracks is “Do What Th’owl Wilt,” not only for the title’s ancient and cosmic import placed on the desires and demands of owls (Twin Peaks anyone?), but the driving, heavy bass line, and freaked out psychedelic solos spun over the top that sound just about to lose control.
I also have a total soft spot (or should I say, hole drilled into the top of my head) for Weird Owl’s obtuse and esoteric references to the occult, magic, transformation, liminal spaces, the moon, shreaks in the valley in the darkest forest, the changes of the seasons, sustaining tribes on the planes- what can I say, these guys love the epic and ancient content within their songs. Just check out what they say about their upcoming album:
“Like the addition of fire to a stick of incense, we have brought a small amount of destruction to a Form in order release the Force that had dwelled inside. The Form in this case was a Thought; a Thought that when destroyed emitted Song. Yes, we have finished an album, to be titled “EVER THE SILVER CORD BE LOOSED”.
Look it up in your Old Testament (Ecclesiastes), but look upon it as a FUTURE BOOK.”
Past, present, future- the nice thing is that reading this, they could definitely be doomed to living in a pyramidal energy synergy reiki crystal (which they do sing about, crystals that is)- but they manage to blast through those prismatic walls and neo-hippie spiritual affectation with a mysticism more in line with Led Zeppelin’s love of Aleister Crowley than Enya’s love of massage therapy.
Listen To: “Skeletelepathic”
Neil Young’s “Words (Between the Lines of Ages)” with more pot and a dash of psychedelic mushrooms- a dazzling display, as Brian May proved with Queen, of how 3/4 timing ain’t just for ballroom waltzes but blitzes too.
Listen To: “Mind Mountain”
What can I say, the title says it all. Put this on your headphones, light up an..incense stick…and meditate on the peaks and valleys of your mynd.
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Big bird’s flying across the sky, throwing shadows on our eye. I like this band. Mr Young’s Archives is coming out really soon. Too bad that 10 DVD treasure cost 310 dollars! Ouch that’s gonna hurt, but it will be worth every single painful penny.