There’s usually a 2 year gap between Elder releasing new music and knowing that time was nearly up again and that “The Gold & Silver Sessions” was on the horizon had gotten me a bit twitchy of late. With the Postwax series running slightly late, receiving the initial copy early (knowing the special edition is probably at the pressing plant now) has made every last minute of the wait worth it. Where do I start? 3 songs, 34 minutes of absolute magic.
From the evolution of Dead Roots Stirring to Lore to
Reflections of a Floating World, Elder’s music has grown and grown with the
ability to create an atmosphere that lifts you far beyond a conventional song
before elevating it to levels very few bands can take you to and then hold you
there long enough before the comedown.
Recorded in Berlin in October 2018, live in the studio,
there’s a slightly different feel to it being an Elder record, which I only see
as a positive thing with its hypnotic atmosphere.
Side 1 starts off with “Illusory Motion”. The song slowly
begins to roll in like Colour Haze are ever so good at, and after a couple of
minutes, as the song starts to pick up pace, Nick drops in some guitar work
that is signature Elder. You can feel that this is played live in the studio and
the song grows, sounding like a jam but not like how you would expect a jam to
sound as it has structure. It builds then it slows down, then with just over 2
minutes left that riff kicks back in with a driving, even slightly buzzing feel
to it. The riff is pure Elder and it takes over the rest of the song.
“Im Morgengrauen” starts with some gentle sleepy keyboards
that melt away into Pink Floyd territory. Matthew’s drums and Michael’s
keyboards create an atmosphere of prog with a hint of jazz as Nick’s guitar
walks off in a way that makes me think of Dave Gilmore playing at dusk in a
warm dusty Amphitheatre in Pompeii.
The whole of side 2 consists of the 18+ minute “Weissensee”.
This shows the pure musical chemistry that the 4 member have. Jack’s bass ties
everything in together so well as riff after riff drop in then slip away as
another takes center stage. Again, I’m feeling the proggy parts of Pink Floyd
but this time it’s a lot more hypnotic and trippy. I can also here the Yawning
Man melodies of Gary Arce in there. Reading the sleeve notes, the song is based
on a series of jams that reflect the suburb of Berlin the album was recorded
in. The repetition of daily life in the city is shown through the basslines
that roll on and on. As the song draws to a close, that Krautrock influences
also show and I definitely see the odd glimpse of Electric Moon.
These 3 songs take you on a journey that Elder have not
really been on before and possibly won’t take again, but think about them being
in a warm dusty place looking towards the heavens. This is pure musical genius.
If you have this because you’re a member of the Postwax
series or have caught them touring parts of Europe, lucky you. If not, July 12th
is the day for you when Blues Funeral give it a full release.
The record I have here looks absolutely stunning and with
the Postwax limited version with some special packaging due soon, you know what
to do.
Stickman Records - Pre Order
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