Cover design by Simon Fowler
Then It All Came Down is the
second work from the Wrekmeister Harmonies project spearheaded
by J.R. Robinson. For this 34 minute track he's brought
together the talents of a number of artists including Bruce Lamont
(Yakuza), Sanford Parker, Chris Brokaw (Codeine), Ryley
Walker and members of Bloodiest, Disappears, Indian and Leviathan
to name a few.
The concept of the track revolves
around the process of natural decay and accepting that all that is
brought into the light must eventually return to the darkness.
Unfolding over such a period of time
means that patience is rewarded. Containing a number of movements,
TIACD begins beautifully with a droning organ and chimes
ushering in female choral vocals. Acoustic guitar (Walker) seeps in
from the middle distance completing the scene of serenity.
The peace is broken though as Wrest's
coarse growls penetrate an ominous darkness that falls over the
whole. A deep drone and various noises move the listener into an
unsettling and foreboding realm. It's a short period of unnerving
though as mournful strings come into play.
Sorrow and ache now dominate as all
feelings of hope are now lost. The calm has been restored but it is a
more desperate one. Lamont's pastoral chants deepen those feelings as
the strings swell with emotion accompanied by more instrumentation,
filling the sonic space to a breaking point.
At that time an ear-shattering tone
explodes into powerful doom feeding back magnitude and crushing
atmosphere. The tipping point has been reached and the decay goes
from deterioration to crumbling collapse. It's absolutely massive and
haunted by spectral vocals. The destruction intensifies as percussion
enters, crashing as pieces fall away.
As the decay nears completion it
softens, and a melody return amid the drone. Vocals both possessed
and pastoral continue to afflict the listener as the serenity of
completion comes full circle and the light fades into darkness.
Then It All Came Down is a
powerful, thought-provoking and existential piece of music.
Robinson's vision is executed with care and understanding. Bringing
so many elements (and people) together could not have been easy but
the results speak for themselves.
Although enjoyable (as much as
something this morose can be) under any circumstances, the full
impact of the work requires an ideal listening environment. Solitude,
subdued lighting and the absence of distraction allow for the full
breadth of human emotions displayed here to encapsulate the listener,
penetrate the soul and thus allow the full scope of the composition
to be realized.
One can only imagine how moving this
was when it was debuted at the Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago
under a full moon in July 2013. What an experience that would have
been.
Released October 21, 2014 on Thrill
Jockey Records
