Search - Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band with Choir :: "This Is Our Punk-Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing

Amazing Album

Brian Singerman | San Francisco, CA USA | 09/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is simply put an amazing album. I own every GYBE and ASMZ album, and I'm having a tough time deciding which is the best. This album is up near the top of the list though. I currently would put this album second only to Born Into Trouble... Other reviewers have commented that the "Tra-La-La Choir" parts are annoying, and I totally disagree. The entire first track, including the powerful choir part, is the best piece of GYBE/ASMZ music I've heard. I know this is a matter of taste, but do not let that prevent you from buying this record. Not only does it sound great, IMHO, but it makes the type of political point only found on these type of records. The only annoying part is the train part of the last song, but even that has a point (as anyone who knows GYBE is fully aware of). So, I fully recommend this album to anyone who is a fan of this genre. If you don't own any ASMZ albums, you may want to start with Born Into Trouble As The Sparks Fly Upward, as it is a tad mroe accessible, but this really is a close second. If you are branching out from GYBE, look no further than ASMZ."

Thoughts on the new album.

Ella Quin | Daejeon, Korea | 11/19/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first track, "Sow Some Lonesome Corner So Many Flowers Bloom", introduces the major theme of the album; that being a return to the basics of intense orchestral composition, with the introduction of vocal arrangements.As a fan of both Godspeed and Silver Mt. Zion, I'm electrified by this new release. Order it from their record co. for $10 total."

A Note on Theme

Scott Louis | Houston, Texas | 02/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Trying to lay a hand on describing the music created by Canadians Godspeed You! Black Emperor and A Silver Mt. Zion is like trying to summarize a cubist painting. It is simultaneously beautiful and haunting; mesmerizing and disturbing; gleeful and despondent. At times it is chaotic and tumultuous, at others a single melody drifts through the speakers. If no other descriptor fits the entirety of their discography, it is brilliant.



The history, philosophy, and politics of this nebulous group of Canadians are well-known, so one can focus on this album as a singularity of their work. The opening track, perhaps my favorite on the album opens hushed, with what sounds like a dance instructor repeating eight-counts. Guitars then drift ever so slowly in, rounding around a few central themes. In typical post-rock fashion, new elements are introduced in a rounding fashion, including voices and the "complete amateur choir" ASMZ assembled for this record. The vocals done in the first third of this track are, for me, one of the highlights of the entire album. Something about the tone and rhythm of that section really strikes a chord with me. The rest of the album bends and swirls in much the same way, with elements added and deleted almost seamlessly as the record wends its way though to its conclusion.



The common complaint, it seems, is the tonal quality of leader Efrim Menuck's (Gasp! A last name!) voice. Unfortunately, we have to look back at the record itself to understand where his voice fits in to the mix. This is most assuredly a concept album, and one with a political agenda. Unfortunately, I can't find a review anywhere that has really parsed out the meaning behind the title of this record. The entire concept of the album is metaphorical; this is rusted satellites gathering together to sing punk rock, songs against the establishment that created them. ASMZ are commenting on the futility of our race for technology, and the waste and disenfranchisement that it leaves careening in its all-consuming wake. We throw satellites into space only to forget about them and let them rust. What was once the pinnacle of our technology becomes an unwanted, outdated, and scorned byproduct. This is those satellites coming to sing a requiem for their own existence, and lash out against their creators.



So we have, in essence, a dirge sung by a group mourning itself. It mourns its own being, and it mourns those who see nothing but creating more of them. It is in this spirit that Efrim begins recording his voice. It is in a spirit wrecked by a crushing grief, and he does a shockingly amazing job of conveying that grief aurally. To record perfectly pitched vocals sung through trained pipes would be to ruin the entire spirit of the record. This record touches on the uselessness of our society's attempts to section our lives off from eachother and nature (The fence around your garden/wont keep the ice from falling), and in doing so shows the loneliness we are having to deal with as a result of this compartmentalization.



All this is done through masterfully woven guitars, strings, percussion, and voices. The music is as lovely as it is haunting. There is even hope woven into the key changes in the final song. This is not only an amazing record, but a shining example of how music can be art, politics, and religion all simultaneously. Go buy it."