Cloudland Canyon: Silver Tongue Sisyphus (Kranky CDEP)
This 2-track EP from Cloudland Canyon successfully channels the verve of vintage Krautrock and psychedelia without sounding like a mere throwback or pandering to cliches. Each of its tracks clocks in at about eleven and a half minutes, so this release is broken into distinct halves.
My preference is the first track, "Dambala." It has a truly epic quality that eschews the typical soaring, blistering guitar crescendos often associated with psychedelic rock and instead veers closer to an updated take on the more serene and repetitive sounds of vintage Cluster records. It begins with a harmless enough drone which builds and builds with layers of shimmering electronics, twinkling keyboard sounds and cycling pulses and tones. The Krautrock influence kicks into high gear when this tension subsides and gives way to a distant piano pattern and undulating bassline, allowing a whirring synth line to wander overhead, again introducing multiple layers of sound. What is perhaps most satisfying about this sequence of sounds is that the track never introduces a proper rhythm section and never introduces traditional guitars, either. These layers of drones, melodies and tones are more than enough to propel the track forward.
The title track is another creature altogether, starting again with a somewhat sedated intro but quickly moving into different territory. After about 3 minutes of bleeping ambience and exposition, the rhythm section kicks in with a vaguely militaristic snare pattern, upon which a repetitive German vocal enters the fray. This section more obviously touches upon the psychedelic 70s spirit of Can or Ash Ra Tempel, down to the production itself which makes this feel somewhat old by default. The noodly sprawl of the center of the track allows synth leads to take over, with various elements weaving in and out of one another. It's most satisfying when the rhythm section clears out altogether and the organ and electronics are given free reign for the closing minute or two. While it's a strong track on its own, it pales to the patient brew of "Dambala."
As two sides of an idea it's a satisfying point of contrast, with the title track to some extent delivering on the build-up and tension of the first half. It will be interesting to see what happens on the next go-round, when the duo has a full hour or more to explore their fusion of new and old terrain.
mp3: Dambala
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