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Sunn O))) - Soused [Collaboration] review




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Reviewer:
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41 users:
5.61
Band: Sunn O)))
Album: Soused [Collaboration]
Release date: October 2014


01. Brando
02. Herod 2014
03. Bull
04. Fetish
05. Lullaby

So Sunn O))) seem to have been taking a liking to collaborations as of late. This in itself is not a bad thing, as Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley have already proven themselves as versatile musicians capable of adapting their sound on multiple occasions. This time around, however, the duo chose to work with Avantgarde musician Scott Walker, the results of which were unfortunately a bit like mixing oil with water.

The sound of Soused is peculiar, to say the least, and it's very difficult to identify exactly who exerted the most influence in the songwriting process here. At times, the music sounds like it could've come straight off of Monoliths & Dimensions, yet with Scott on vocals and some of the horns and percussive effects from his latest Bish Bosch added in. "Bull," perhaps the strongest track of the collab, is the best example of this, with a drony, monotonous core further embellished upon by Scott's wails and some creepy ambient effects. This is where Soused finds its strongest synthesis of the parties involved, and, had it stuck to such a formula throughout, it probably would've been quite a memorable experience.

The key word there, of course, is would've. At other points in the collab (most of them, actually), the music sounds something more along the lines of "Scott Walker ft. Sunn O)))," and this is a far less pleasant listening experience. For anyone familiar with Walker's recent solo work, a similar structure is there: his operatic, somewhat overpowering vocals, generally schizophrenic composing that rapidly shifts from one mood to the next, and the usual surrealist lyrics that suggest that this guy has been down the rabbit hole a bit too many times ("Choo choo mama, how do you lose your luck"? ). The biggest problem is that when this approach comes in, it makes sudden jumps back to the more Sunn O)))-like sound seemingly out of nowhere, and it's a very sloppy transition.

Furthermore, Soused comes across as highly disappointing if nothing else, because there are some moments of excellent songwriting in it, subtle hints at what could've been, but they're few and far between when compared against the music as a whole. At times the union of Sunn O))) and Walker feels a bit forced, and it lacks the sense of natural fusion that made previous collabs like Altar and Terrestrials as good as they were. While the idea of experimenting with other musicians sounds great on paper, sometimes it just doesn't work, and Soused is an example of such a case. If you're a diehard Sunn O))) fan, you should probably give this a peek just for the hell of it, but be warned: you most likely won't find what you were looking for.





Written on 29.09.2014 by Metal Storm’s own Babalao. Comforting the disturbed and disturbing the comfortable since 2013.


Comments

Comments: 14   Visited by: 175 users
29.09.2014 - 04:43
Opethian

For a second i thought this was a follow up to their 2009 album, oh well
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29.09.2014 - 04:59
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by Opethian on 29.09.2014 at 04:43

For a second i thought this was a follow up to their 2009 album, oh well

Hopefully they do go back to writing their own material after this, the collabs are nice but it's time to get back to the "pure" Sunn O))) sound
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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29.09.2014 - 05:29
Opethian

Written by Auntie Sahar on 29.09.2014 at 04:59

Written by Opethian on 29.09.2014 at 04:43

For a second i thought this was a follow up to their 2009 album, oh well

Hopefully they do go back to writing their own material after this, the collabs are nice but it's time to get back to the "pure" Sunn O))) sound


Well said!!
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29.09.2014 - 06:28
Rating: 3
Boxcar Willy
yr a kook
Yeah this sucks. A lot.
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14:22 - Marcel Hubregtse
I do your mum

DESTROY DRUM TRIGGERS
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29.09.2014 - 11:52
DahliaRock

I smelled lulu as soon as the disc started spinning
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29.09.2014 - 15:13
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by DahliaRock on 29.09.2014 at 11:52

I smelled lulu as soon as the disc started spinning

You're not the only one to make that comparison
I'm really curious to see if this gets any better feedback when it's released officially, as I'm reviewing it kind of early.
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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29.09.2014 - 19:26
Rating: 7
Alex F
Slick Dick Rick
Agree with this review pretty much entirely. I really can't enjoy any of it anymore (after like three spins).
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29.09.2014 - 19:29
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Called it.
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29.09.2014 - 22:43
Rating: 8
Lethrokai

I'm actually quite enjoying this one, funnily enough. That being said, it would once again fit in with the Lulu comparisons because I honestly didn't mind that one either.

I think it's more that I really quite like Scott Walker's solo work though. His part definitely powers through, and I really can't help but enjoy it.
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Sometimes you just need to roll the dice and look away.
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30.09.2014 - 00:03
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by Lethrokai on 29.09.2014 at 22:43

I think it's more that I really quite like Scott Walker's solo work though. His part definitely powers through, and I really can't help but enjoy it.

I really like his solo work as well, but as I kinda hinted at, I don't think it entirely fits with Sunn O)))'s style. Scott's music is kind of random and all over the place, while Sunn O))) pretty much just stay in one place throughout their songs. Also, his vocals are very loud and somewhat abrasive, which is a bit too much for the generally more relaxed and atmospheric nature of drone. I would've enjoyed this collab a lot more if they were a tad more buried in the mix, like this.
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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30.09.2014 - 01:18
Rating: 8
Lethrokai

Written by Auntie Sahar on 30.09.2014 at 00:03

Scott's music is kind of random and all over the place, while Sunn O))) pretty much just stay in one place throughout their songs.

I guess that's where we differ then, because I actually really like that contrast. It creates a weird, almost off-putting vibe that I just felt really added to the atmosphere of the album.
----
Sometimes you just need to roll the dice and look away.
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26.01.2015 - 14:48
3rdWorld
China was a neat
Agree with the abrupt transitions but I thought this is a very good album and never guessed one could identify so much issues with it until I came here. I enjoyed it greatly though.
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26.01.2015 - 15:51
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by 3rdWorld on 26.01.2015 at 14:48

Agree with the abrupt transitions but I thought this is a very good album and never guessed one could identify so much issues with it until I came here. I enjoyed it greatly though.

I can see why some would, as I said, there are some good moments among it. I just think Walker was a bit too much of a contrast to Sunn O))) 's sound, to me he doesn't really fuse with it as much as he forms this sort of strange parallel to it. Which to me, isn't exactly the best formula for the best collab. You should be virtually unable to distinguish one band's sound from the other, they should combine as one basically, and here it's pretty easy to tell the Sunn O))) personality from the Scott Walker personality.
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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01.08.2015 - 10:30
Rating: 8
Maratha

Album not bad really, but I feel Sunn O))) should give a thought of collaborating with Urfaust and shut the rantings of Soused for at least some time.
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