- -- Release information ----------------------------------------------- -- -
Artist : Elder
Album : Lore
Genre : Rock
Year : 2015
Label : Stickman Records
Cat# : Psychobabble 079
Source : CDDA
Bitrate : VBRKbps
Size : 113,7 MB
Runtime : 59:08 min
URL : n/a
- -- Tracklist -------------------------------------------------------- -- -
01. Compendium 10:39
02. Legend 12:31
03. Lore 15:58
04. Deadweight 09:28
05. Spirit at Aphelion 10:32
- -- Release notes ---------------------------------------------------- -- -
There are really two approaches one might take in considering
Lore, the third full-length from Massachusetts trio Elder,
released in the US by Armageddon Shop and in Europe on
Stickman Records. The short way is to say theyve turned from
the deep-toned heavy psych style of their 2011 sophomore
outing, Dead Roots Stirring and used that as a basis for a
more clear-headed, progressive approach to riffing. The long
way is to sit and map out every turn Loreæs five included
tracks make over the course of their combined 59 minutes,
every change, every moment where sprawl meets crunch, every
soundscape, melodic impression, rhythmic pivot, etc. Frankly,
neither approach does the album justice. The former cheats
the songs Compendium (10:39), Legend (12:31), Lore
(15:57), Deadweight (9:27) and Spirit at Aphelion (10:32)
of their due consideration on an individual level, and the
latter wrongly discounts the impression of Lore as a whole,
which is how, despite its 2LP length, it is best experienced.
One hopes, then, to find some middle ground, as the three-
piece of guitarist/vocalist Nick DiSalvo (also keys), bassist
Jack Donovan and drummer Matt Couto have done on the Justin
Pizzoferrato-produced outing, which follows 2012Æs two-song
Spires Burn/Release EP and seems to be pushing further along
those stylistic lines. Thats no surprise. Each Elder release
has built on the last ù Dead Roots Stirring was a leap from
the bands stoner-riffed 2008 self-titled debut (interview
here), released on MeteorCity, and Lore is likewise a leap
from that second album ù and it seems that if they donÆt have
something to say, Elder arenÆt interested in putting out a
record every year just for the sake of doing so. Their
musical progression is that much easier to trace for the
stretches between outings, and Lore, as was Spires
Burn/Release, as was Dead Roots Stirring, as was Elder, is
their defining work to date. A landmark.
Those who worshiped at the altar of Dead Roots Stirring might
be surprised on first listen at just how clean Lore sounds,
the beginning guitar taps of Compendium a clarion both of
the proggier feel that pervades and of the clarity of the
production that follows suit. Its not, however, as simple as
the band jumping ship from one style to another ù much of
DiSalvos style of riffing remains the same, and Donovanæs
basslines still circle around the guitar only to land back at
the root just at the right moment, and Coutoæs swing and
crash is as prevalent as ever its just what they do with
these signature elements that results in the impression of
growth. In Compendiums airy midsection, in the snare work
under the guitar solo in the second half of ôLegend,ö in
Lores post-break Mellotron-inclusive triumphant swell of
crash cymbal, guitar and bass, and in the energetic, circular
riffing to which it leads, in Deadweights atmospheric
opening and more straightforward, linear framework, and in
the running acoustic lines that begin Spirit at Aphelion,
one finds some standout factor or moment in each of Loreæs
individual pieces, but the evolution of the band is as
evident in how well songs feed into each other as it is in
the songs themselves. On a linear format (CD, digital), Lore
is an encompassing front-to-back listen, and while the side-
flips of a 2LP allow for more focus on each track ù not to
mention a fuller, frame-worthy view of Adrian Dexteræs
stunning artwork ù being carried along the records sundry
builds and cascades uninterrupted is a markedly satisfying
way to experience it. The ground they cover across
Compendiums the shiver-down-the-spine launch and turns of
ôLegendö and ôLoreö ù each longer than the last until the 16
-minute title-track takes hold as the centerpiece and most
expansive inclusion ù would be enough for most full-lengths
on its own, let alone the building riffs of Deadweight and
some of the leftover Colour Haze influence they show in that
track, or the stomping pre-fadeout finale ôSpirit at
Aphelionö provides, its deep-mixed keyboard line (that might
be plucked guitar) the theme holding it all together.
Still, in taking Lore as a whole, its hard to discount the
singular achievement of the title-track and the textures
DiSalvo, Donovan and Couto craft across its span, from its
immediately heavy opening, melodic verses, through the
guitar-guided ambient break in the middle and the heights to
which they build from the ground up in the second half, the
song pulsing back to life at about 10 minutes in with a wash
of mellotron, crash and guitar, before heading off at a
full-run an on instrumental psych-prog exploration, topped
here by a solo, shifting there into single hits before
unfurling the massive-sounding, insistent riff that provides
the apex before acoustic and electric guitar intertwine over
the fadeout. Its transitions alone make for a remarkable
accomplishment, but how well the song flows between its parts
easily stands in for how well Lore, the album, shifts between
its movements, Deadweights picking up from that fadeout
quietly at first to hypnotize for two minutes before kicking
into the lead-topped introduction of its meaty verse riff.
After ôCompendium, Legend and Lore, it would be easy to
think of Deadweight as a stylistic pullback before ôSpirit
at Aphelionöæs early psych-folkish resonance ù an impulse
that one hopes Elder will continue to build on ù and later
adrenaline surge of a finish, but itÆs not. ItÆs really just
a kind of introductory track those whoÆve made their way past
ôLoreö and onto side D know that Elders story isnt as
simple as a phrase like ôgone progö could encapsulate. Their
argument for a slot at Duna Jam? Maybe. If so, its a solid
case. Either way, Lore brings new context to Elder within
heavy rock, as they emerge not so much as a band taking
influence from others, but one whose shifts, flow and
songwriting are all the more dizzying for the sense of
control behind them. Anyone still longing for a short version
might take comfort in ôElder have matured,ö but the truth of
Lore is more than that, and the album distinguishes the trio
from just about everybody in American heavy one might
otherwise consider their peers, standing as their most
individualized statement to date and one that seems poised to
have a lasting influence of its own in years to come. For
now, Ive no doubt it will be counted among 2015s best
albums. Recommended.
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