Earth - The Bees Made Honey In the Lion's Skull

Godfather of Doom metal, Dylan Carson, has composed yet another stunningly beautiful arrangement. The title of the record describes the album better than any other words possibly can. Carson's guitar emits light rays which slowly seep down the side of the rhythmic backbone set by the pulsating drumming. The guitar travels as slowly, like dripping honey, all through the album, weaving together the piano and drums. As a finishing textual touch, Grammy award-winning jazz guitarist Bill Frisell paints in small details above all the other harmonic layering. At first listen, the melodies stick like honey to the listener's skull. They are toyed with, altered, and modified until finally repeated and resolved towards the end of each track. Due to Earth's minimalistic approach. any subtle difference in the repeating melody is immediately noticed by the listener. This approach is how Earth seems to paint those memorable landscapes they are famous for displaying in their music. Some say it sounds like a deserted ghost town, and others say it is the sound of relaxation. Personally, the album conveys the beauty of a sunrise.

I suggest buying the physical album. I downloaded a copy off iTunes originally, and was appalled by the low-complexity, 128 kbps version. I went out and bought a copy at a local FYE. The packaging was gorgeous. It came in an outer shell, encased by a smooth, shiny black casing. The leaflet was made out of the same, smooth material and contained great photos of the band. I imported my CD into iTunes at 320 kbps, and can finally listen to an untouched, gorgeous copy.

Check out Earth on tour now, and you could catch them with Kayo Dot, Zaïmph (Marcia Bassett of Double Leopards), or Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter.
04/25/2008 Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
04/26/2008 Wexner Center for the Arts - Columbus, OH w/Sword Heaven
04/27/2008 The Dame - Lexington, KY
04/28/2008 Springwater - Nashville, TN
04/29/2008 Bottletree - Birmingham, AL w/Fur Elise, Liz Durrett
04/30/2008 The Earl - Atlanta, GA w/Fur Elise, Liz Durrett
05/01/2008 Calendonia - Athens, GA w/Fur Elise, Liz Durrett
05/02/2008 Rocket Club - Asheville, NC
05/03/2008 Downtown Events Center - Raleigh, NC
05/04/2008 Rock and Roll Hotel - Washington, DC w/Kayo Dot
05/05/2008 Johnny Brenda¹s - Philadelphia, PA w/Kayo Dot
05/06/2008 Knitting Factory - New York, NY w/Kayo Dot