Review: Smote ‘A Grand Stream’
Since I reviewed last year’s Genog, life has changed somewhat for Smote‘s main man Daniel Foggin who has relocated from his native Newcastle upon Tyne to live and work in a farmhouse in the Scottish Border town of Kelso.
Incidentally the name of the album was inspired by post-work beers with bandmate Rob Law (drums) by a small river and the sense of pure happiness that was elicited from this action. As someone who finds Lancaster far too sedate, the very idea of such a life in the countryside is about appealing as being stuck in a lift with James Corden, but different strokes and all that eh?
The album’s art is intriguing, hinting at not only a ‘great outdoors’ motif but also similarities to the Trojan Horse, the ingenious design of Odysseus which enabled the Greeks to win the war against the Trojans. Thus, is it possible that this concept extends to the music on A Grand Stream, Smote‘s fourth length album, is indicative of there being more than meets the eye? Whatever the truth, having enjoyed the aforementioned Genog I am excited to hear how this ambitious seventy-minute opus fares.
At nearly nine minutes, Sitting Stone Pt. 1 is the album’s shortest track with its psychedelic folk drones bringing to mind both Lankum as well as that band’s offshoot project ØXN. If you hadn’t guessed by now, this is no finger in the ear, cozy woollen jumper job, but a far heavier hypnotic affair which helps open the album in a fine fashion. Sitting Stone Pt. 2 showcases ambient influences, quiet and restrained during its initial four or so opening minutes, one would almost say eerie. It eventually evolves with steady repetitive post-rock ala latter day Swans as well as the neo-folk of bands such as Current 93, Sol Invictus and Coil, the track managing to sound unnerving yet strangely soothing simultaneously.
The word masterpiece gets banded around all too liberally these days, but with A Grand Stream it feels entirely warranted…
Coming Out Of A Hedge Backwards picks up from where the preceding track left off, the Swans vibes continuing right off the bat this time, no time being wasted with atmospheric build-ups. There’s also a seemingly Indian/sub-continental type flavour in spots as well as psychedelic flourishes to be had, the musical changes are so subtle that you really have to bring your ‘A Game’ in order to catch them.
Chantry is described in the promotional blurb as ‘meditative’ and there is indeed that quality present, taking you as it does on a transcendent journey into other worldly realms far more enlightened than ours. If your core being possesses even a fraction of spirituality and you coincidentally happen to share a love and passion for Earth’s Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version (as I do), then you’re in for a treat.
The Opinion Of The Lamb Pt. 1 is undoubtably my favourite track on the album, starting as it does with Ornette Coleman style violin (see Dancing In Your Head – Live Under The Sky festival 1986 on YouTube as a fine example of this) blended with Deafkids’ punishing tribal industrial noise rhythms resulting in something truly spectacular. The Opinion Of The Lamb Pt.2, the longest piece on the record at over eighteen minutes, is a behemoth combining the brand of heavy psych folk drones we’ve become accustomed to so far with a shoegazey My Bloody Valentine type intensity with which to draw the album to a truly cathartic conclusion.
The word masterpiece gets banded around all too liberally these days, but with A Grand Stream it feels entirely warranted and I for one look forward to seeing Smote perform this material live when they next hit the North West.
Label: Rocket Recordings
Band Links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Reza Mills
