FOSSILS-Grassroot CDR

FOSSILS-Grassroot CDR
MIDDLE JAMES CO 2007
Fossils has long been an obsession for me. Something about their sound I absolutely love and can’t get enough of; “Grass Root” is no different. Spanning over 56 minutes and 7 untitled tracks, this CDR introduces some different sounds than previous releases and is a good example to show the progression the band has made over the years.

The first track starts off with the sound of cassette fuzz and hiss, the trade mark blips and bloops start and grow into low slow reverberated groans, then finishes without warning in a sudden stop.

The next track teases you at first with what sounds like processed cymbals being toyed with. Layers of clatter build up, a high end whine rises up like a siren and comes down in the background, then shifts spectrums turning into a low end rumble. A guitar comes in, the rubbing of the strings sounding like a wire bridge in the wind. This continues for a time then segments begin to get looped and take the forefront, good time to pause and do some head bobbing. The loops grows and shifts as more cymbals, guitar, tapes, pedals, feedback, clanging and god knows what else begins until the loop fades back and a ghostly whisper floats to the listeners ears telling you thing are alight until the abrupt end.

Third track begins with delayed vocals talking, about what? I have no idea. The vocals ebb and flow as a guitar ding and dangles like a banjo. We then learn that the vocal layer is a tape as its fast-forwarded here and their without warning. The guitars begin a strange backwards loop as more rumble and mystery sounds delay into and out of the main movement.

Next track begins with a very musical sounding lofi riff. As this is looping over and over, little dings of clatter with a degrading delay sound ping into play, at times almost becoming a rhythmic backing. The guitar disappears as the pings, clatter, and clanging take over. The bleeps begin to rise and fall as the clatter quietens slightly. Guitar loops begin and end, as a steadier loop begins. Things continue like this for a while, building up, and then slowly the track ends very beautifully in almost silence with the high end plucks of a guitar.

Untitled 5 begins with and slow creaking sound, like an old oak in the wind. High sheens of sound peak their head out here and there as the wind begins to cease slightly and the tree gets a moment to rest, though it is not long until the wind starts anew. Whistling though the air as an air horn blows in the distance. The wind begins to warble and flux, morphing into a low/mid rumble. Things start to become more violent before things settle down into a slow trickle of feedback loops and loops.

The 2nd last track is my least favourite, mostly hum and hiss with moments of metal creaking. The last track on the disc then begins with a nice slow ambient guitar loop. This continues until about half way through, the elements from the previous tracks are added. More bleeps, clattering, and echoes from unknown found objects.

Besides a few fleeting moments, a great release for fans of this style of noise. Plus, the cover has a photo of fossils spelt out in bud.

By Jake Vida