Deep Politics

by Grails

Overview

Grails began as a post-rock unit that delivered moments of absolute beauty inside blown out; heavy rock power plays. On 2008's Doomsdayer's Holiday, the quartet began to reply more on post-production -- ambient textures, lush overdubs, understated samples, and washed-out backdrops -- to expand their reach. On Deep Politics, it's an inseparable element in their sound. While their music always held cinematic elements, here Grails reflect the influences of Ennio Morricone, Hugo Montenegro, Piero Piccioni, Alan Hawkshaw, Basil Kirchen, and others in creating 21st century library music. Moogs, mellotrons, strings, and chorales are indelibly woven with their meld of big guitars and percussion; yet Grails sound even heavier. Their sonic density is maximal. A low-tuned guitar riff in "Future Primitive" is layered with numerous forceful strings (played and arranged by composer Tim Harris), droning backing vocals, and well-placed percussion, to open the set darkly and powerfully. "All the Colors of the Dark," with its dissonant contrapuntal piano, echo-laden slide guitars, snares, and kick drums, are multiplied exponentially by strings and an enormous choir that signals a dramatic moment, but then quickly drops out as a nylon-string guitar plays a moody melody backed by harmonic piano chords; they're subsumed by sitar and reverb in the conclusion. The swirling string textures on "Daughters of Bilitis" suggest Francis Lai and Montenegro; they create a love theme drenched in dread. "Almost Grew My Hair" engages both electric and acoustic 12-strings in gorgeous interplay before stretching to the breaking point of abstraction as clipped choral voices, echo chambers, and spatial effects consume them while re-centering another melody. "I Led Three Lives" is the closest thing here to the Grails' famed Black Tar Prophecies EPs, with its sprawling psychedelic heaviness and rolling tom-toms, but it too is enhanced by King Crimson-like Mellotrons. "Deep Snow" begins with an acoustic and electric slide engaging in terse interplay before the full band kicks in with a knotty, metallic thud: drums, throbbing basslines, multiple strings, and feedback transform it with knotty tension before they drop away one at a time, coming out on the other side as a sparse, dreamy Eastern melody. On Deep Politics, Grails sound more like themselves than ever, while taking their music to an entirely new level. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	03/08/2011
Label:	Temporary Residence
UPC:	0656605316918
Rank:	73060

Tracks

1. Future Primitive
2. All the Colors of the Dark
3. Corridors of Power
4. Deep Politics
5. Daughters of Bilitis
6. Almost Grew My Hair
7. I Led Three Lives
8. Deep Snow

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Grails   Primary Artist
Emil Amos   Drums,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Synthesizer,Lap Steel Guitar
Ash Black Bufflo   Synthesizer
W.M. Slater   Bass,Piano,Vocals,Synthesizer
Alex Hall   Mellotron,Guitar (Electric)
Tim Harris   Strings
Zak Riles   Guitar (12 String)

Technical Credits

Carl Saff   Mastering
Brandon Eggleston   Drum Engineering
Alex Hall   Mixing,Engineer
Emil Amos   Tapes,Mixing,Engineer
Randall Dunn   String Engineer
Bruno Nicolai   Composer
Tim Harris   String Arrangements
Jeff Stuart Saltzman   Mixing,Engineer