BELOW THE HOUSE by Planning for Burial

Listening Notes

1. Whiskey and Wine - Harsh distortion. Reminiscent of Primitive man. Ooooh bells! A simple but beautiful (hopeful) sounding chord progression. Weirdly didn't feel like 4 minutes of a song. Time deceptive. Wait a minute; the liner notes says there were words in this song; I missed them!
2. Threadbare - Atmospheric, slow drum and bass intro. Humming? Mumbling? Inaudible lyrics. Noise. Buzzing. Perhaps a guitar solo. A similar set of background notes keeps the track sounding more interesting. Synth or ... a glockenspiel? It works well, has a decay delay it seems. Sounds space-like.
3. Somewhere in the Evening - Guitar comes in thick and harsh. Reminds me of Godflesh with less bass. Moving to headphones. I can't tell what track I am on. It says track 3 but the liner notes have fewer printed lyrics than I hear in the song, but I can't tell what he's saying in the audio. Starting track 3 over with headphones now. Sounds worse. It's unpleasant, which I am sure is the point. This track is way more sad, and I still cannot understand the vocals. (Reading the lyrics, I am kinda of glad). Emotional form over function? Melancholy; the piano is a nice touch. Great ending.
4. Warmth of You - Easiest on ramp yet. Moderate drums, bass and guitar playing. And I can understand what he is saying with the help of the lyrics. I am on the right track. :) I definitely get similar vibes of Woods of Ypres (though they sound nothing alike). Also some Lebanon Hanover tossed in.
5. Past Lives - We are back to alien noises. Or should I say ghost noises (as per the liner notes). Ambient noises.
6. (Something) - Thoughtful and beautiful reprieve.
7. Dull Knife pt. 1 - We are heavy and sounding extra Godflesh-y. Musically, the least interesting thus far to me, yet the lyrics are the heaviest by far.
8. Dull Knife pt. 2 - Excellent transition from the previous tracks. Makes me love CDs. It's a great way to tie two ideas together. Soft and quiet now, but the theme continues. Alive but not living. Words and music pair up nicely ("I am a fog"). 2 minute mark there is an irritating sound that overstays it's welcome, then it stops immediately which gives a sense of relieve. Which I can't help think is expertly crafted along side the lyrical content. The song is long and drawn out. It stretches thin. It yearns and it builds. The guitars cry in anguish. It grows and plods. It's too much. Quiet. Honestly that was a great track and could've easily been the end.
9. Below the House - The bass line, is flubby. Disorienting soundscape behind it. Soft voices saying something. There is a hum that I swear is an unplugged guitar that he is putting his finger on and back off again. Pretty brilliant if that's what it is. The bass line continues, and some chords from an organ(synth?). It's hypnotic. The previous track is definitely the climax of the album while this track is the "resolution" in narrative terms. When it ends, the silence you are left in, is loud.

Production Notes

• It's harsh. Hard to listen to.
• The production reminds me of Metallica's Death Magnetic. Though, not as bad.
• Vocals aren't necessary, conveys the anguish. Reminds me of a Trent Reznor interview where he said he didn't like his voice so he hid it on the early records.
• Liner notes are great; it was a glockenspiel! The included photos seem too warm juxtaposed to the music; they show that a human was behind this.

Overall Thoughts

Exellent album. It's a great peice on just how much music can carry emotion. If it were possible I would say there is more emotion here than music. I guess it is possible. The more I sit, after listening to it, The more empty and vacant I feel. The more I wish I was back there in what can only be described as musical concrete brutalism.