Where do you even begin with a band like Sunn O))). can we even really call them a band? Certainly not in the traditional sense at least. Nothing about the American duo can be even remotely called traditional. For nearly 30 years they’ve been curating moments, movements and experiences in place of where the rest of us mere mortals would have albums. From their most accessible material on the debut Black One through slow and meditative, or the more immediate and visceral, and their absolute masterpiece of twisted, almost classical Monoliths & Dimensions, the newest self titled release slots into their surprisingly varied catalogue, showing some of the densest and oppressive material of their careers so far.
For the first time in years, there’s no collaborators to speak of. This is the duo of Sunn O))) in its purest form, a ‘back to basics’ approach if you will, or as back to basics as they will ever get. The result is no less deep or expansive for it however. Every phrase is stretched to its limit, straining under the tension, like a fabric being ripped apart at the seams. Tension is the key theme across all of these chapters, pushed nearly to breaking point, building up the atmosphere, pushing listeners to the limits until the sound or the listener breaks, inevitably it is the latter that is more likely, there’s little release throughout this, just a near never ending rise.
Established fans will feel a sense of comfort immediately, some may even consider this somewhat of an “easy listen” for Sunn O))). The opener ‘XXANN’ greets listeners with a wall of squalling feedback, looping and chasing relentlessly, spectre-like, familiar but deeply uncomfortable. Without so much as a warning the next phase crashes in, deep and loud a statement of what’s to come, dragging listeners under. Further listeners reveal the true depth, the subtle trickle of water permeating through the din.
These subtle, almost imperceptible flourishes, like ambient recordings of the world outside the studio, ground this release into something real, something that feels like it is moving with nature, sometimes against it, but always in synchronicity. There’s a complementary ambience it brings to everything, the feeling that there may very well be light, even in the darkest of places. Despite that constant build of tension there are genuine dynamically interesting moments, even if expressed in a harsh way, there’s times where sounds are allowed to breathe and extend themselves. They never truly break down and rebuild, it moves like a choppy ocean, there may be moments of brevity, where the waves don’t always wash over you, but it’s always coming, always building and waiting.
If there is a standout track amongst these it is without doubt ‘Glory Black`, if only for the piano work alone. Devastatingly heavy, sonically, emotionally and atmospherically, it comes in almost awkwardly. Slightly out of tune and off key, echoing beyond belief it does the work we expect from Sunn O))) in a way that we do not and keeps the tension rolling on.
Discussion around quality, on objective or subjective levels becomes redundant when considering Sunn O))). This isn’t music to be enjoyed, this isn’t something to stick a couple of tracks into a playlist, this is meant to be experienced in it’s entirety, letting the whole world created by the sounds envelop you. It can be listened to a thousand times and never sound quite the same, it will never feel quite the same, it is more than anything an ever evolving and living piece of art.