Thee Silver Mt. Zion… – Kollaps Tradixionales

by Paul on February 25th, 2010

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra – Kollaps Tradixionales
February 16th, 2010
Constellation Records
Score: 8.2

It seems as if Montreal’s Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra is fighting an uphill battle. The fact that our attention spans are not exactly lengthening is not a surprise, and neither is the success of easily digestible and inoffensive radio hits. However, that they have achieved the recognition and status that they have — albeit somewhat indebted to some of their members’ now classic work with Godspeed You! Black Emperor — speaks to a desire in many music listeners to be challenged and have their boundaries stretched. Luckily for them, this album does just that. With an average track length of over 8 minutes, Kollaps Tradixionales is certainly directed toward a select audience. Nevertheless, with luscious, sweeping arrangements accompanying pure rock power, this album is bound to convert quite a few newcomers.

First off, the 8-minute average is a bit misleading as the first and last tracks account for over 29 minutes between the two of them. Rather than dragging at all, as would be expected, Efrim Menuck and company fill them with massive dynamic swells and retreats as well as vocal intensity and frailty. All of these are evident in opener ‘There Is A Light’. Beginning with a single, reverberating guitar and organ, Menuck’s almost indecipherable wail pierces the pastoral backdrop. Simple strings and percussion are added, but before reaching an apex, it all falls off as vocals drop to a whisper as he begs “Tell me ‘there is a light’”. Then, tension begins to build again as ominous horns are added to the mix while Menuck warns, “Well c’mon you children/if there’s one thing we know/it’s that there’s gathering clouds and they’re swinging low.” The song doesn’t get to this first high point until five minutes in, but it’s the almost constant contrast which makes it so effective. There are no tempo changes, but you could swear that the pounding of the middle section is quicker than the slow, swinging six from the beginning.

This ever shifting quality that defines ‘There Is A Light’ also applies to the whole album. The second track starts with a pulsing distorted guitar and features a beat that is effectively in 7/4 that lasts the entire song. To avoid going into too much theory, what makes this asymmetry so important is how the vocals fit. Fluctuating between accenting the off-beats and fitting nicely into the phrasing of the strings, ‘I Built Myself A Metal Bird’ is dissonant yet melodic, intense yet beautiful, with Efrim cynically yelling “Dance motherfucker” in the background as the song plays out.

From this point on, the band continues to experiment with the two templates it has established in these first two tracks. The mostly instrumental ‘I Fed My Metal Bird The Wings Of Other Metal Birds’ kills the momentum of its predecessor in favor of guitar and cello noodling before brilliantly bringing back its intensity (and riff). Then the ‘Tradicional’ suite begins, channeling the restraint and beauty of the opener, though set over a bleak piano and string arrangement, and the theme of despair that has been gestating since the start begins to set in. Just like that, though, a tender love song breaks out in the form of ‘Collapse Traditional (For Darling)’ and now Menuck is crooning “There is a heart inside of everything that nestles deep”, further showcasing the band’s versatility. Of course, this only lasts a minute and a half before the angry guitars come back on the third movement, ‘Kollapz Tradicional (Bury 3 Dynamos)’. These three songs are intended to reflect traditional folk songs, and while the first two bear subtle hints of influence, the last with pounding tribal percussion, almost modal melodies, and vocal chanting channel Anglo-Saxon ferocity marvelously without sounding at all contrived.

The only instance where the album does seem to languish a little is on the last track. The shape of the album is perfect, with the emotional, thematic, and musical climax arriving at the end of the ’Tradicional’ segment. However, there are still 14 minutes of music, and while ’Piphany Rambler’ serves as a nice denouement, encompassing and summarizing the album beautifully, it does seem like it is “rambling” at times and could be about 6 or 7 minutes shorter. That being said, the song is gorgeous and any complaint I have with it is trivial when compared to the rest of the album. Despite how hard it may be to digest, Kollaps Tradixionales may end up being the most inspired album released this year by one of the most gifted bands recording.

Paul Bulow

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