### Earth: The bees made honey in the lion's skull

#### 12/04/11 || Daemonomania

DRONEBONE DISCLAIMER: If you require your music to have speed, vocals, or a sense of purpose, this album is not for you. Stop reading. Go make yourself some flapjacks.

Still with us? Good. So as you’ve probably heard from Khlit-eater the Greek, Earth is a key group in the formation of drone doom. A genre founded on the deliberate and ominous, deeply dependent upon feedback. By 2008 they’d adopted a country/western feel into their molasses uphill in winter approach, and the result is a psychedelic trip into the desert scrublands.

Actually, maybe saying “psychedelic” would suggest too much excitement. Think instead of that feeling after a long night of serious substance abuse, when you’re still awake as the sun rises. You feel a bit hollowed out, wasted. Now imagine that you’ve enjoyed your binge in the Mojave. As you return to a state of semi-normalcy you notice that “Fistful of Dollars”-era Clint Eastwood is sitting next to you chomping an unlit cigar, and Jim Morrison is lying facedown in the sand completely naked and possibly dead.

That didn’t clear things up much, eh? Many have pointed out that this has the atmosphere of an Ennio Morricone soundtrack, but mixed with a hint of drugged-out bliss/paranoia. That’s just about on the money. Think Bob Wills meets Mazzy Star meets Karl Sanders’ solo work and you’re about spot on. But no singing. None at all.

Making sense yet? No? It’s hard to come up with too much concrete description of a disc that isn’t one you focus on from riff to riff, chorus to chorus. “Bees” is a relaxing, pleasing experience as a whole. Standout tracks for me are “Miami morning” (perfect hangover soundtrack) and the slinky “Hung from the moon”. But I doubt most people who dig this type of stuff listen to anything less than the whole durn thing every durn time. If you’re that “whole album” type of person with an affinity for sluggishly tumblin’ tumbleweeds, put on your spurs and head on out to the doom ranch. I highly recommend it. Now Clint, help me put some pants on Mr. Mojo’s deceased fucken ass.

- Information
- Released: 2008
- Label: Southern Lord
- Website: Earth MySpace
- Band
- Dylan Carlson: guitar
- Bill Frisell: guitar
- Steve Moore: piano, organ
- Don Mcgreevy: bass
- Adrienne Davies: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Omens and Portents I: The Driver
- 02. Rise to Glory
- 03. Miami Morning Coming Down II (Shine)
- 04. Engine of Ruin
- 05. Omens and Portents II: Carrion Crow
- 06. Hung from the Moon
- 07. The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull