|
|
The Ascent of Everest - How Lonely Sits the City
The Ascent of Everest is a group of young men fitted with various
strings, drums, and a voice fit for deep valleys. Hailing from
Graceland's sister city Nashville, the Tennesseans' music is more at
home in the mountains of Tennessee than in the streets where several
country music stars have grazed with their boots.
While the
six piece band features numerous instruments, I feel that what makes
The Ascent of Everest stand out from the other "Post Rock" bands is
their use of stringed instruments. For example, the introduction of the
second track, "As The City Burned, We Trembled for We Saw the Makings
of it's Undoings in Our Hearts," features a moaning cello melody that
paints a picture of dread that the title implies. Soon enough, the
cello is joined by its musical brothers' violin and drums and what
ensues is a vacuum of powerful music.
 In fact, to spread the
wealth, every instrument goes above and beyond the call of duty.
Whether it be the aforementioned strings in track two; the subtle, but
ever present piano; the guitars and bass; and the drums that seem to
align in each song, make each one special in it's own right. The
percussion work in particular is wonderful because it serves as this
agent of diplomacy for all of the other instruments. Given drumming of
less caliber, I feel that the songs may crumble upon themselves like a
bad Dream Theater song.
Another thing that highlights this
band's need for the listener's attention is the use of vocals. It's
such a subtle touch that you cannot help but be drawn into, indulging
in them slowly like one would a fine wine. Due to it's subtle flavor,
it's only proper to take it in sips, just like the singing. It's
sparse, but when it's there it's delicious.
One of the things
that strikes me though, is the inconsistency of the guitar work. At one
moment, it sings a beautiful tune and the next it sinks back into a
standard tremolo-picked dervish. Perhaps the band tried to make the
guitar not really stand out at times for fear that it would take away
from the other qualities of the band. When it comes down to it, I don't
think that The Ascent of Everest is a guitar-based band, which is fine.
I think that a lot of music is overrun with "guitar-based bands," when
only a few can wear that title with pride (such as WakeThisDay).
Perhaps the fact that the guitar takes a backseat adds to the band's
charm. For people that hate to stray away from guitar centric bands,
The Ascent of Everest would seem uninspired.
The album
concludes with the multi-movement epic with the pretext, "If I Could
Move Mountains." This song is well worth its own paragraph due to its
content. It sounds like everything good taken from Godspeed You! Black
Emperor mixed with the indie-rock songwriting of Band of Horses. The
band cuts cloth from these influences, dyes and trims them, and make
them their own garment; it's a garment fit for a fashion show.
To pick one song from "How Lonely Sits The City" to define the album or
the band would be impossible. The Ascent of Everest have released an album
that is a multi-faceted package. It's very hard to start listening to a
song and not finish the entire album. There's some aspect of continuity
that runs through the tracks that I honestly cannot quite pinpoint. It
demands attention by any means necessary, even if it means taking the
guitar work down a notch. It's unique in a genre where personality is
scarce at times. "How Lonely Sits The City" promotes indescribable
themes through bows and strings rather than pickups and amps, which is
a step in a very positive and interesting direction.
The
Ascent of Everest is currently working on new material and side
projects. More information (and stores to buy "How Lonely Sits The
City" and their stylish t-shirts) can be found at
www.myspace.com/theascentofeverest
Bill Goodman
|
|