AL QAEDA + D/A A/D Split c71 (Husk Records)

The hardest part about writing reviews is starting them. Unless I have a good story to get things moving, I typically dread this paragraph and save it for last. How to start..I guess I could say something like “San Fransico trio Al Qaeda and Halifax synth pusher D/A A/D tag team on this hefty c71 on Husk Records” but it'll never make the final cut. Or I could say “Husk Records recent offering of Alex Pearson's D/A A/D and San Fran trio Al Qaeda is....ah fuck it.

Side A belongs to Al Qaeda who creeps in with Rotten Trail, a slow burner navigating through deep and dark muddy waters with a paltry headlight which in it's intermittent flicker reveals contorted images of what could be those creepy assed fanged fuckers you see on Discovery Channel, or maybe it's just some seaweed and a trick of the light. It doesn't really matter what it is because at depths like these, you can bet on it trying to eat you. Somewhere far off, drums drift with the currents; weathered and splintered by the salty waters, appearing for a few moments only to be carried away again just out sight.

Somewhere on shore, Late Bloomer comes wandering in through the warm glaring sunshine, strolling by in slow contented motion, stopping here and there to pick up a seashell, zoom in on the seashell and FUCK WHO TAPED OVER MY FILMSCHOOL FINAL WITH THIS BLACK METAL VIDEO?! IM SO FUCKED! DID YOU DO THIS?! DO YOU UNDERSTAND LI—oh man, thank goodness you didn't tape over the whole thing. Shit, I can probably splice the two ends together...not like anyone understands my vision anyway.

Wrapping the side up and taking the gold medal for best track on this here audio tape is the bent star-gazer, Something Electric. It's a tough decision as the whole thing is pretty damn killer but it's just got all of the right ingredients that I'm typically a sucker for. It's a cold night in the desert. Gorgeous cascading guitar leads ripple and expand through an ever repeating riff in a crystal clear sky. Incoherent vocals echo back and forth in monotone mumbles. Stars and satellites drift by in a steady glide. You've got your portable radio on but way out here it's only picking up bleeps and static. That's okay though. You lay back, eat your last cap, and try to lick the moon.

With all that said, don't expect things to go sour for the remainder. Alex Pearson definitely holds his own on the D/A A/D flip side. The only instrument at work here is a lone analog synth, churning out moods starkly minimal yet completely encapsulating. It's almost as if the sounds are staring you in the face through an unrelenting scowl and you can't do anything but stare back, too scared to look away. This is some stone-still, uncompromising, I ain't movin' for fuckin' nobody shit. Barest of all and a perfect closer is Break Through the Blood, consisting of a single tone which distills the mood of the entire side in a thick, concentrated molasses growl over and over and over again. Fuck.

Although there are is a variety of color and sound to be found all over this split, there is a constant thread that runs throughout; a feeling of being smack in the middle of something incredibly vast. It's both frightening and beautiful in it's hugeness and it seems to push in on you, heightening your awareness and making you feel every single cell in your body. This is limited to 70 copies and still available on Husk. Go Get It.