Search - Rh Band :: First Tone

RhBand - 'First Tone' (Drunken Fish)

Mike Reed | USA | 03/01/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Some first class drone here,four tracks as each one is unnamed.Track two lasts thirty minutes,this one is probably the best as it reminds me of Flying Saucer Attack.The first three cuts bring to mind Spacemen 3.'First Tone' is GREAT to listen to,though tough to describe.Not sure as to where this CD is going,but it's most certainly a ways out there."

Falling into bliss....

Mike Reed | 09/04/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"57 minutes of music, four untitled tracks, one incredible album. These phantom drone masters have crafted an album that relies on Spacemen 3's earlier drone experiments while pushing the idea of space into the next century. The second track is great. Imagine waking up in the desert after a million year slumber, and, after you have got your bearings back, World War 3 erupts around you. That sums up track 2 and the sound of the entire album. The album owes much to ancient eastern drones, 60s psychedelics, and the shape of the future. For a truly spectacular aural experience, look no furthur."

Just look at the cover

J. Rossi | Downers Grove, IL | 08/08/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm no longer the aptly-described 'music fan' below; now I have a name officially recognized by Amazon!



Semantics aside, this is one of the finest collections of guitar-driven drone pieces around and is one of the classic headphone albums ever made.



At times "First Tone" recalls Eno's experimental wanderings in the mid- to late-70s, Flying Saucer Attack's edgy ambience (think Popol Vuh and the Feedback Song), jazz's predilection for expansive experimentation and the end of the production line at General Electric's insulated cable factory.



The first Eagle Rock movement -- the unquestioned gem of this collection -- is woozy yet grounded, densely layered yet breathable. It lurches forward from the murky gloom several times, but the first steps are false starts; once the miasma finds its way ahead it rushes there, and the listener is buried beneath slowly shifting guitars, buzzing drone hums and other various layered effects.



The three other tracks mark their own territory but don't even approach Eagle Rock in terms of length, heft and mind-blowing control of sound sources.



That all these tracks were committed live to tape in one take is impressive; that all these tracks can hold the listeners' attention and make them crave even more is truly incredible and astounding."