Search - Grails :: Take Refuge in Clean Living (Dig)

The brilliance is in the details.

Insert Pen Name Here | Louisville, KY | 06/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Grails are a welcome diversion in a post rock world which has worn out of originality relatively quickly over the last 5 years, and probably should not be classfied as post rock regardless, because grails have never written songs/soundscapes to a certain length or with a certain formula in mind.



After grails lost timothy horner, their violin player, in 2005, they went in a new direction, creating layered subtleties around free from jazz style drums, tape loop synth reverb, booming gigantic ominous bass lines, and eastern tinged ethereal guitar. All these forms mingling, converging, and dissapating in waves of tension, never crashing per se, just building high and subsiding, sometimes quickly, sometimes over the course of 4-5 minutes.



I have to admit that Black Tar Prophecies is my favorite series of grails recordings, but this 1/2 hour record is a welcome evolution in that sense of sound. While I wouldn't call Take Refuge in Clean Living a follow up, it has inklings of that record melded w/ a new direction, very loose and atmospheric.



Stoned at the Taj, a song I recently heard them play live (and very noisily) feels more like three song's melded together, clocking in around 8 minutes. It begins w/ some shimmering atmosphere and a simple yet undeniable bass tempo which locks you straight into step with the oddly twisting counterpoint of the acoustic tinges sprinkled on top of the mix, with loud aforeground bass drums capturing your attention. Almost to suddenly, these items fade out to be replaced by 5 minutes of what feels like free jazz improv and melds into the 2nd song "PTSD" almost without thought.



The Ventures song "11th hour" (grails always do covers wonderfully well) is the shortest and most accessible, centering around a catchy, smooth bass line, as weird echoing guitar lines comes in and out.



Take Refuge/Clean Living, the B-side of this LP, are probably the most focused of the 5 songs, both crescendoing into this wonderful world of eastern tinged sound w/ loud drums and plodding bass lines.



I highly recommend this record to anyone who loves intsturmental rock but hates the direction it is going.



I highly recommend just actively listening to this without distractions. It is the only true way to appreciate a grails record so you can hear all the subtle brilliance and interplay between the players. Also, don't expect to really get it the first few listens, it is just to far outside the box to be able to wrap your head around it automatically."

Heady, dense, trippy, awesome, epic stuff

Leigh Orf | Mount Pleasant, MI | 09/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I happened upon Grails looking over the vinyl catalog of Important Records. I bought the vinyl LP on a whim and am so very glad I did.



If you like to turn down the lights, close your eyes, and let the music carry you places, and aren't afraid to take a few scary turns here and there, check it out. The instrumentation is reverb-heavy guitars, wall-shaking bass, and drums that feel 5 stories tall. There is a fair amount of additional instrumentation - a hammered dulcimer, pipe organ, and some tape effects (the opening track starts out with some Morse code, the "is anybody out there" call of CQ practiced by ham radio operators) and other atmospheric touches infuse the grooves.



The music is somewhat minimalistic, typically starting out with a bare theme, adding instruments, growing to a climax and then cooling off and beginning the next track. The songs are almost all in minor keys, giving them an introspective, dark feel. If you are fan of the music of Steve Reich (such as Music for Eighteen Musicians), Supercollider, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, etc., and don't mind your music without the distraction of vocals and lyrics, you will likely love this album."