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lyrics mix thematically with an extended soaring guitar solo to end the 6:25-minute track : “ Beauty fades , death decays ... branches break , roots remain ... And when you sit and picture me / Remember sitting in the sun , dancing in the rain / The end is not the end you see / It ' s just the recognition of a memory .” That ’ s about as optimistic as Mastodon gets . “ Ancient Kingdom ” provides more best-of-album moments with its lyrics about a sultan fleeing battles literally as well as “ pain in mind ” battles . Bassist Troy Sanders belts out the story of an ancient kingdom that still remains but crumbles slowly , as well as the “ ageless sounds ” that “ never die ” and instead “ ride beyond mortality .” The musical arrangement on this song and on all others is both fresh and timeless . “ Clandestiny ,” with Ghostlike synthesizer parts , takes a more ominous lyrical approach . A metallic , robotlike voice at one point makes for an otherworldly aesthetic as other lyrics suggest self sacrifice for the greater good : “ Give your life , so I can live .” “ Andromeda ” embodies “ chronic delusions ” in both lyrical content (“ It never ends / enough is enough ”) as well as aggressive guitar riffs to match the progression of ideas and sounds .
Finally , “ Jaguar God ,” the closing song at 8-minutes in length , represents the most theatrical arrangement with three distinct movements , started with Brent Hinds ’ acoustic guitar ballad introduction . It all collapses with a soulful guitar solo outro that punctuates the album ’ s overall ambition and majesty . Appearing 5 / 13 at Aragon Ballroom , Chicago
- Jason Scales
9
HERE LIES MAN Here Lies Man
( RidingEasy )
Here Lies Man navigates the path set by The Budos Band ’ s 2014 album Burnt Offering , but sets the controls for the heart of the sun . Featuring guitarist Marco Garcia of Antibalas , Here Lies Man weaves together intoxicating Afrobeat rhythms and thundering doom-metal riffs . The heavy rhythm section is both the foundation and foreground of songs like “ Letting Go .” The songs include vocals , but their fuzzed-out , psych-rock treatment and mantra-like repetition during the propulsive “ I Stand Alone ” serve more to amplify emotion than convey a distinct message . The furious pace relaxes slightly for the tense and eerie “ So Far Away ,” as clouds of reverb , parlor organ and disembodied vocal drift behind a dire Black Sabbath-styled riff . The combined effect of drummer Geoff Mann ’ s polyrhythm and Garcia ’ s acid guitar during “ You Ain ’ t Goin ’ Nowhere ” and “ Belt of the Sun ” may leave listeners perplexed . Should you dance with wild abandon , or bang your head ? This album should come with a safety warning about the risk of serious spinal injury if both are attempted at once .
– Jeff Elbel
8
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diagnosis , early in her sabbatical . “ I was so depressed when Grace was ill , then I got depressed just leaving the band and having that part of your life cut off , and then seeing Stephen go away and seeing that I got replaced so quickly ,” she recalls . “ And being replaced wasn ’ t a very nice feeling when you ’ d been in the band for so long . So having the cancer thing was like I couldn ’ t see any end to the depression , even five years on .” She ’ s a ten-year survivor now . But the close call made her examine her life in deeper detail . “ Sowhen I got the chance to go back ( to New Order ), I thought , ‘ Yeah , if I ’ m happy – if I keep on being happy in the band , I ’ ll do it . But I don ’ t want to commit to anything , long term .” Touring proved so exhilarating – even though founding bassist Peter Hook had departed the group in a much more acrimonious , litigious fashion , replaced by Tom Chapman – that Gilbert agreed when Sumner suggested that they re-enter the studio for Music Complete . She found that things had changed over the years . Joy Division had always been something of a boy ’ s club , with Curtis being the first member to get married and have a child . So the men – including Morris – would stay in the studio recording until all hours , while their women stayed at home minding the kids . When Gilbert first met Curtis and company , her all-girl punk band The Inadequates was rehearsing in the same building . The group gave her a ride home one evening , on the proviso that she buy one of their early singles . She began dating Morris , and when Curtis passed , Joy Division ended , and Sumner wanted to change musical direction as New Order . “ They didn ’ t want to emulate something that
was very special , and especially Ian ,” she says . “ So choosing me to join the group was coming from a different place . And when I left – or when I had to leave – and my daughter was ill – I think you definitely missed something about me .”
For Music Complete , mom no longer headed home from the studio at dusk to oversee the kids – at 17 and 21 , they were old enough to be left on their own . She and Morris also have their own home studio , where they could perfect potential song ideas , and then play them in collaboration with the rest of the group , something they ’ d never done before . Technology had greatly changed in Gilbert ’ s years away – nowadays she can recreate complicated tones and melodies onstage via computer , sans clunky oldschool synthesizers , samplers , and sequencers . And the cameo appearances , she adds , were invitations that were immediately accepted . “ So they were just songs that happened as we went along . Barney ( Sumner ) had that Brandon track for a long time , but it was good how everybody agreed – we didn ’ t want to make a big fuss , or make some big announcement that we were making a new record . We just wanted to bring it out . And we weren ’ t sure how the Peter Hook thing was going to play out , if people without him in the band . So we just took tiny steps .”
As a mother , Gilbert made many unselfish sacrifices . Did her daughters appreciate her decade-long tabling of stardom to give them a normal home life ? She snorts . Exactly the opposite , she explains : “ They ’ re very resentful that they didn ’ t get to go on tour with us . And the annoying thing is that they ’ re both into music – one went in the singing direction , and the other is in a band . I thought I ’ d done a really good job of steering them away , but no . Appearing 9 / 15-17 , Riot Fest , Douglas Park , Chicago ( Date TBD )
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