February 11 - Tethered to the Polestar

Today's "difficult" piece of music is difficult because of the amount of notes that are not played. If it sounds like a paradox, I hope you understand when you listen to it. We are so used to listening to music that goes a mile a minute where there is sound every microsecond that slow moving and slow developing music really becomes a challenge. The band behind this music is Earth, a band that started as a drone metal band, but who currently are experimenting much more with a western-influenced guitar tone and music that isn't drenched in feedback, but rather seeks to find its place in between all the silence that is around.

The challenge with this music isn't to play a recording of it, it is to actually listen to it. And I mean listen - not hearing it in the background. I am also very impressed with the band for playing it this slow. Try playing something slow like this yourself - as musicians, we tend to want to be involved and do things - I remember when I played third clarinet in band and sat there without playing, counting the rests until I got to participate again, bored out of my mind. But Earth does this beautifully - and while it can be challenging to actually listen, when I do, I really feel my mind going new places, and that, to me, is a wonderful experience.

Earth's music is a lot like this - it's the sound of the open American west, whether it is on the prairie or in the desert - at least that's how I like to hear it. So please sit back and enjoy Earth with Tethered to the Polestar from the album Hex - Or in the Infernal Method