13 Blues for Thirteen Moons delivers new sound

Silver Mt. Zion shines a clearer spotlight on vocals.

By Joel Schafer

Published April 15, 2008

Three members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor formed A Silver Mt. Zion in 1999 and have managed to differentiate themselves from their better-known outfit over the years. By including vocals (something which is nearly unheard of in Godspeed’s music) and more obvious rock influences while using instruments commonly found in chamber orchestras, A Silver Mt. Zion is sometimes seen as Godspeed Light.

Silver Mt. Zion’s new record, 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons, begins with 12 tracks of pure feedback, symbolically starting the real music on track 13 with “1,000,000 Died to Make This Sound.” After three-and-a-half minutes of chanting with sparse instrumentals, a lone cello line beckons forth, crashing waves of distortion.

This will probably frighten away those who cling to the post-rock classification that has generally labeled the band. But those who find the layers of fuzz, crushing volume and straightforward political messages to be long overdue will be intrigued through the entire album.

Godspeed borrows from orchestrated music in the sense that they use movements within their tracks. In contrast, Thee Silver Mt. Zion does not label their individual works with movements, therefore making each song a more cohesive piece composed of many riffs.

The most obvious difference between this album and other previous works is the amount of space taken up by the guitars. Thankfully, hearing the emotion being let loose in a new way ends up as a welcome surprise. The musicians have made their anarchistic beliefs well-known and are finally calling forth their listeners to change the shape of things.

Singing is usually not much of a concern to Thee Silver Mt. Zion, but 13 Blues features more vocals than any of their previous records. Though the entire band shares vocal responsibilities, bandleader Efrim Menuck’s harrowing yell is usually sailing above the rest, conjuring forth Roger Waters’ cry with a punk-infused deliverance. And though the performances on 13 Blues create an alarming sense of urgency, the melodies rarely stray too far from one another within each track.

There is a logical progression throughout all of Silver Mt. Zion’s Music, and 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons is a cohesive whole. Since a riff-rock approach is taken and applied to songs that are each 15 minutes long, it’s hard to keep your mind from wandering from time to time (although this should be expected from any band that experiments with such repetition). A Silver Mt. Zion’s new album is a welcome addition to the discography, but is definitely not their quintessential or standout record.