Yawning Sons - Ceremony to the Sunset
Release Date June 15, 2009
Lexicon Devil Records
I love to space out. I think it is good for the
soul, no matter what your boss, teachers, or parents say. Being able to space
out and think about stuff provides a well needed break from the hustle and
bustle of your life, assuming my readers are at all busy. Often times, having
some sort of musical catalyst is needed to reach that all important Zen state
of "Whoa" or in most cases "Huh? What?" stage. This is where Yawning Sons comes in.
Conceived in a jam between Gary Arce and UK instrumental group Sons of Alpha Centuri, and birthed with the help of Mario Lalli, Scott Reeder, and Wendy Rae
Fowler, Ceremony to the Sunset is
unmistakably an Arce signature
concoction. With Arce's unmistakable
tone, extendo-jams, and a band name
similar to the one that made him famous, I immediately knew that I would be making
comparisons to Yawning Man right off
the bat.
On a personal note, Yawning Man was the first band I got into after discovering there
was a whole "Desert Rock" scene (after listening to the hell out of Kyuss). My buddies and I searched long
and hard to find music from this, to us, unheard of scene and unheard of music.
A lot of us found our "way" because we discovered the scene and Yawning Man was a huge, nay, massive
part of that. Needless to say, I have high expectations for this album.
So I unexpectedly receive the album from somewhere
in the UK, run to my car, and pop it in. The first track is
"Ghostship-Deadwater" A very relaxing intro makes the album cover
come to light. After taking a look on the back to see what the rest of the song
titles are, I can see there is a very nautical and lush theme to this album.
Lots of water and gardens. Then, all of a sudden, vocals. Those familiar with Centrui's and Arce's work are not familiar with hearing voices, unless they are
in your head. But to my delight Fowler's
mixed down, almost Shoegaze-esqe performance adds another dimension to a track I
had expected to be an instrumental.
"Tomahawk Watercress" is an expected
chilled jam with a touch of Oriental flair. it's easy to get lost in this one.
The addition of a second guitar to the traditional Yawning Man sound makes a defining mark on the band, which is
almost enough to convince me not make comparisons to Yawning Man, but not quite. "Wetlands" is more of the
same but a little more spacey. This is not a bad thing. If I get into the intricacies
of instrumental space jams then this review would be 5 pages long, or I can
just say that it is a, instrumental space jam that is a pleasure to listen to.
The segue song, "Whales in Tar", is a
creepy, short (by Yawning Sons standards)
song that does a amicable job of linking the two halves of the album, or you
can skip it, it's up to you. The swaying "Meadows" includes a Springsteen like performance by long
time Arce collaborator Mario Lalli (Fatso Jetson, Yawning Man). The song is about reading, something you're doing right now. With a
simple, unchanging melody and terrific jam section, this track is only to be
outdone by the following song "Garden Sessions. Pt. 3". This
has it all, Scott Reeder chanting,
bongos, and slidey guitars. It's hard to think of synonyms to terms like
"Super Chill Jam" so I'm not going to. This is my favorite song on
the album and, oddly enough, it is perhaps the least Yawning
Man sounding.
"Japanese Garden" closes the album with
the most Yawning Man sounding song,
if Yawning Man were Japanese.
Going into this album I thought "Well, it's
either going to suck because it didn't live up to my expectations or it's going
to replace Pell Mell's Star City as the album I listen to on
the way home after the radio show." Thankfully it was the latter. Yawning Sons is not Yawning Man with a different name
slapped on it. While it does have Arce's
signature guitar tone and the instrumental jams we've come to know and love,
the guys from Sons of Alpha Centuri
bring the whipped cream to the pie party. With an added textural element and
diversity in the drums, Ceremony to the
Sunset stands on its own as a solid
trippy album. While it is held together by a theme it does not get stale. Sure,
some of the jams may be be a pinch too long, but so what? On a scale from
"Loves it" to "Not so Much", I give it a "I'll keep it
around and see where this goes".
1. Ghostship-Deadwater
(8:31)
2. Tomahawk Watercress (6:57)
3. Wetlands (6:40)
4. Whales in Tar (2:47)
5. Meadows (8:08)
6. Garden Sessions, Pt. 3 (5:21)
7. Japanese Garden (4:46)
Length - 43:10
I also have to say, Yes, I know the album is
over a year old. I know I could have reviewed something new. But I had been
searching for this album and had, unfortunately, forgotten about it, until I
was at the station and lo-and-behold I get this wacky looking envelope from a
far away land. Do you have an album that you want on "It Came from the
Desert"? Check out the contact page to the right! I LOVE getting music in the mail!
