Thou - Live 2019-05-06 (concert)

Scott just turned me onto Thou, a doom metal / sludge metal band from Louisiana.  I did not know about them before his note, despite their extensive discography.  The LP he sent me was their just-released "Primer for Holy Words", a LP of covers, including songs from Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and, of course, Black Sabbath. 

I liked that LP enough that I did some poking around to learn more about them, and in the course of my research I uncovered this NPR Tiny Desk Concert they did just over a year ago.  They did three songs from their 2018 acoustic EP "Inconsolable".  Apparently part of their discography is dedicated to exploring different sub-genres that connect to primary sound.  I certainly don't have a full command of their canon, but this particular concert (and the EP from which it draws) invites comparisons to slow-core bands like Codeine and Low. 



Bonus link: "Inconsolable" EP
Second bonus link: a live set from 2019-03-29, with some of the same songs as above but done in their usual (i.e., much heavier) idiom. 

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - "F♯ A♯ ∞" (LP Review)

Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian musical collective that I first learned of from Herbert, probably 20 years ago.  Their genre is broadly "post-rock", but "atmospheric" and "soundtrack" are equally descriptive as well.  I listened to their 1998 debut LP "F♯ A♯ ∞" (F-sharp, A-sharp, Infinity) again recently, and no matter how often I listen to it, I'm always moved by its power and scale.

I could try to describe it further, but instead I'm going to steal a line from Gordon Krieger, who described the LP as a "slow soundtrack of regret and desire, equal parts morose and expectant."

Stand out songs: All.  There are individual tracks, but listen to the entire LP for the full effect.

Skip 'em songs: none.

Final score: 10/10.  This is a genre-defining LP.