Ah, distortion. It's amazing to think that something once believed to be an undesirable byproduct has become such an expressive tool in and of itself.
Nowhere is that more true than on Chris Rehm's amazing album, Salivary Stones. Normally when I sit down to enjoy a Goslings album, I have to prep myself; I usually sit up a bit straighter and adjust the volume a couple notches down (or *up*, if it's been one of those days). I was completely unprepared for the opening squall from the eponymous title track – it's a gasping, gut-punch of an introduction. It sounds like a wall of amps setting a room on fire before offing themselves; this is the kind of music that is loud at any volume. Now we've all heard this before, but what I heard next was what really surprised me – a vocal melody buried in the conflagration, trying to get out. It's a stunner of a track, and a stunner of an album, that manages to feel epic, despite its short 28-minute runtime.
Salivary stones are something like kidney stones of the mouth, so you get that this is an album purified by pain. The astringent quality of the opener, and much of the album that follows, has a cathartic quality that feels not unlike a breakup record. The song titles seem to suggest this story arc as well, like the anachronistic "Don't Leave Me Blue," and the parenthetical, Radiohead-esque "(Not Thinking About the Future)". What's beautiful about Salivary Stones is how well-modulated it is; instead of sticking with one setting, i.e. Goslings-like "pummel" or Belong-like "lull", this is music with a definite beginning, middle and end. By the time you get to the closing track, which is as acoustically quiet (at least initially) as the opener is blitzkrieg loud, you feel truly satisfied – as if you just finished a really good book (or maybe novella, in this case). It's an amazing piece, and I can't wait to see what else Chris Rehm has in store for us.
--written by M@
You have an awesome blog and we review some of the same stuff. YEAH!
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