PRICE:
$17.00
IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
Sweeter As The Years Roll By
FORMAT
LP

LABEL
CATALOG #
STAUB 087LP STAUB 087LP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
5/27/2008

LP version. Heaven And are Tony Buck (drums, percussion); Steve Heather (drums, marimba, percussion); Martin Siewert (guitars, lap steel, electronics, keyboards); Zeitblom (bass, keyboards); Alexander Hacke (vocals). Sweeter As The Years Roll By is their debut full-length release for the Staubgold label and it's a phrase which many will associate with wine. The music of Heaven And is inspired by the diverse music styles all conglomerated in our culture -- elements of the diverse musical styles from the last five decades are clearly discernible. Listening to the first track "As If A Star," one can make out a vast range of influences: a psychedelic backwards guitar cuts through the whirr of a cymbal reminiscent of jazz and trance music, while in the second half, a layer of guitar sounds hovers over it all, which reminds one of the sounds emanating from the Fender amps of the bands belonging to the so-called Americana movement. At the same time, the track comes across as an update of those stoic monster tracks of early '70s Krautrock. (And when it comes to minimalism, the bass line beats any of Holger Czukay's in terms of sparseness.) "Bring Back Those Happy Days" with its manic, almost exploding guitar and its rompish, hippie-like percussion orgy, is quite another cup of tea. Art Ensemble Of Chicago meets Keiji Haino? Or Pharoah Sanders meets Sonny Sharrock meets Boredoms? In the course of the album's duration, Heaven And take their listeners on an unsettling roller coaster ride of styles. Sometimes, elements of the blues stick out, while at other times, elements of heavy metal, post-rock, avant garde, free jazz or noise are up front, so that the listener keeps wondering what (in heaven's name) it is s/he's hearing.