The art of drone is difficult to define. With little separating lush, beautiful drones from noise, it can often be difficult for the untrained ear to even tell what is supposed to be music and what isn’t. It’s been a long time since the early days of SunnO))) and Earth, and the genre has evolved significantly in their wake.
GODHEADSCOPE, founded ubiquitously in all caps, is yet another one of those one-man-bands, the brainchild of Matt Rosin. A City Out of Sight is an interesting entry into the big book of drone, and does well to make a mark for itself in a genre which is notoriously difficult to distinguish one act from the another. The compositions themselves seem to be a combination of traditional minimalism a-la Steve Reich, chamber music, and what has regrettably become known as metalgaze. (I’m looking at you Jesu) Rosin blends acoustic and electric instrumentation well and seems to have mastered the art of “making guitars not sound like guitars,” a sort of nirvana prized among many would be post-rockers.
At risk of hiding behind the “nature of the beast” defense, it should be noted that for what it is, A City in Sight is a mature and well-constructed work. Understandably, the songs take a while to get going; one might expect to wait up to four minutes for something to “happen.” The album is also extremely dense, which is admittedly to be expected, as not many casual listeners find themselves listening to this type of music. What are most likely guitars, I believe the ambiguity is deliberate, set the stage throughout the album for heavy and sometimes triumphant piano parts coupled with shoegazed, effected vocals. Listeners of 20th century classical will also find a home in the unresolved but somehow not quite dissonant melodies.
It should be said that if someone told me that this album was Stars of the Lid with vocals, or Eluvium with more live instrumentation and again, vocals, I would probably believe them. Of course, there is in music, as in all forms of art, a fine line between rip-off and homage. GODHEADSCOPE is definitely on the side of homage, but it is, as stated, a fine line.
On many stickers on the covers of many CDs, one will find the phrases “For fans of” and “Sounds like” as a method of promotion. While there is sometimes validity in those statements, they often amount to little more than name-dropping. If you find yourself listening to GODHEADSCOPE, chances are you probably have a pretty good idea of how it sounds. A City Out of Sight is an interesting and eclectic album. The textures and swelling melodies are pleasing, even if just to lull you to sleep.
-Buddy Cosner