A Silver Mount Zion
He Has Left Us Alone…
Constellation
The full title reads, He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms. This title betrays both the tender intimacies of this album and its dark, pained solitude. Essentially a chamber version of Godspeed You Black Emperor!, A Silver Mount Zion explores the quiet side of that ensemble, the moments of solemn mournfulness and quiet redemption. By utilizing dark pianos, the taped religious speech, somber strings and an excellent sense of composition, ASMZ avoids the bombast of Godspeed and conveys genuine emotion.
I am particularly impressed with the intimacy of 2 extended pieces. When Efrim croons on “movie (never made),” he sounds so sincere that I’d like to hand him my handkerchief. His nasal voice drips with emotion, and the lyrics are the perfect to complement to the tinkling, innocent piano. This is the only song with vocals, but is filled with gems like this: “it’s better to never get paid/than to bank on shit and dismay.”
We’ve been spoiled by Constellation’s always-amazing packaging, and the foil stamped artwork here is no exception. For rainy days and silver linings…
Constellation, P.O. Box 42002, Montreal, Canada H2W 2T3; http://www.cstrecords.com
