Review: Scions ‘To Cry Out In The Wilderness’

Hailing from Canada, the eight-piece outfit Scions comprises Cormac Culkeen (vocals), Dave Grenon (electronics/sound design), Andrew Mackelvie (saxophones/bass clarinet), Ellen Gibling (harp), India Gailey (cello), Ross Burns (electric guitar), Gabriella Ciurcovich (double bass) and Michael Cloud Duguay (keyboards/accordion/guitar). The album’s credits also list another fifteen collaborators, giving you an idea as to the literal scale of this release.

A supergroup that formed in 2022 with members drawn from award-winning minimalist chamber-jazz quartet New Hermitage, Polaris-nominated drone-hymn duo Joyful Joyful and of course the aforementioned acclaimed producer and composer Duguay. Receiving a grant the following year, they started recording their debut full-length To Cry Out In The Wilderness. With all this in mind, I only hope I do it justice in this review.

Moss Lung starts slowly with a wash of atmospheric ambient sounds that envelop the listener, placing one in an almost meditative, dreamlike state. The hints of strings and breathy vocals offer glimpses of what to potentially expect from the album.

The divine saxophone work on Even When All Was Silent I Was Not Alone points to the world music and spiritual influences of Pharaoh Sanders. Once again, the ambient influences are present ala Stars Of The Lid as well as the post-rock ambition and scope of Godspeed! You Black Emperor to forge what is a delightfully ethereal number. Surprisingly, despite the number of collaborators on the album, the track feels strangely minimalist and stripped back, showcasing how seamlessly everyone works together. No egos can be detected, no one clamouring for additional studio airtime, just musicians combining for the common good.

The Mountain recalls film noir, the works of Bernard Herrmann especially, coming to the fore, while the vocals denote a traditional Irish folk influence but with a drone like quality. These seemingly disparate styles blend together effortlessly to produce some truly remarkable results.

utterly engaging and enrapturing…

The title track, To Cry Out In The Wilderness, at nearly ten minutes is the album’s longest and undoubtedly its magnus opus. An extraordinary paean to both nature and humanity (the beauty of childbearing/rearing) with a spoken word narrative and call and response structure, it feels uplifting with a refreshing glass half full outlook. The track is post-rock and heavily improvisational, easily the most experimental and captivating piece on the record.

Fight Song has more of an immediacy compared to its predecessors, there’s a psychedelic ‘60s vibe present not too far removed from what Jefferson Airplane was producing on Surrealistic Pillow, reflecting also that era’s optimism of a potential better tomorrow, despite the current feeling of being in the grip of a seemingly endless war(s). Never has protest music sounded this good.

Equals In Hope features the use of a harp and a sound that draws similarity to devotional music. As With To Cry Out In The Wilderness, it takes cues from post-rock as well as the improvised jamming of Sunburned Hand Of The Man and the self-explanatory Over is a warm shoegaze piece that makes one think not only of My Bloody Valentine but also that band’s leader Kevin Shields’ solo sonic outpourings. This would have made for a blissful conclusion except there’s a bonus track with the single edit version of Fight Song which doesn’t stray too far from the original, however, I certainly appreciate the opportunity to listen to this glorious track once more.

I don’t have the words to adequately describe what I’ve heard other than utterly engaging and enrapturing. Make no mistake this beautifully crafted work will feature in my end of year Shaman Top Ten.

Label: Idée Fixe Records
Band Links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Scribed by: Reza Mills