Ben Chasny solo collection an interesting mix
The Six Organs brainchild released a 2-CD set with songs from the past 15 years.
Published Feb. 5, 2009
Guitarist Ben Chasny, the sole brainchild of recording project Six Organs of Admittance better known as guitarist of the psych-rock band Comets on Fire, released a 2-CD compilation under his solo moniker. RTZ, a reference to the Tascam four-track recorder that these songs were recorded on, is an album made up of rarities that Chasny has written and released in the last 15 years.
After steadily recording and releasing limited 7" records and CDs to fans at shows in the last decade, Chasny has finally put some of these hits together in order to form a compilation like none other out there. Only one of the tracks on the record was previously unreleased, but having the tracks all together here is certainly a treat.
The track list on this compilation is very interesting to say the least, with some tracks ranging from six to 20 minutes. "Resurrection," one of the longer tracks on the record, is a sprawling tune that is broken up into five distinct parts. Recorded in 2001 and released on a 12" split, "Resurrection" didn't see much light of day, just like the other tracks on the record. Throughout the five different parts we see very different aspects of Chasny's recording style. The first part starts off with a very distinct Middle Eastern-influenced guitar piece, which slowly and comfortably fits into the second part, a more accessible Chasny piece complete with hushed vocals, layered guitars and a faint tambourine. The next few parts take similar routes and the track finishes off 20-minutes later at a peak which transforms nicely into the second track on this compilation.
Almost all of the rest of these songs take this pattern of drawn-out (in a good way) guitars mixed with textured vocals. "Punish the Chasms With Wings," the previously unreleased Chasny rarity, begins with hissing noise at both high and low frequencies. As the song progresses, a faint piano begins to chime in and the song eventually reaches peaks and valleys in the recording. After the ambient white noise is done, the track ends with a quick little acoustic pluck and the compilation goes on. This unreleased track definitely does not disappoint; there are many unique elements to it that really let it shine in the grand scheme of things.
As expected, these songs are a lot more stripped down than the Six Organs of Admittance songs we hear today. They were recorded in a very different way, but this compilation gives a nice peek into Chasny's early recording career and serves as sort of retrospection to his history. While RTZ is not one of those records you will show to your friends in order to get them to enjoy Six Organs of Admittance, it is surely a record that older fans will enjoy profusely. These collected rarities in their original form are a great way to listen to some of Chasny's oldest work without having to dig through countless used record bins.
