SINGS REIGN REBUILDER

I’m not sure this is technically a band; it’s more like a project. Set Fire to Flames first appeared as a live act in 1999, which apparently is the only time they appeared live. Shortly afterward the thirteen musicians holed themselves up in an old apartment in Montreal for five days and, deprived of sleep and sometimes food, proceeded to get all f**ked up and record hours upon hours of loosely scripted (and highly improvised) music. Mixed in with the arrangements (if you can call them that) are street sounds much like those Godspeed You! Black Emperor were famous for around the same time.

And that shouldn’t be surprising since about half the group was made up of Godspeed members, including mixmaster/guitarists Michael Moya and Roger Tellier-Craig; percussionists Bruce Cawdron and Fluffy Erskine; and the string section from the first two Godspeed albums as well as inaugural A Silver Mt. Zion members Beck Foon and Sophie Trudeau.

In addition to the street sounds, the recordings included a number of other environmental noises from the apartment surroundings including creaking doors and steps; voices of people coming in and out of the building; and cars moving about nearby.

The overall sound is not totally unlike that of Godspeed’s 1999 EP ‘Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada’, but in the case of Set Fire to Flames there aren’t really any slowly building crescendos or long cacophonic explosions of instrumental sound to speak of. Instead the musicians recorded about a dozen hours of noise, music, and improvisational noodling and patched it together in a collection of fifteen titled tracks, some of which sort of resemble songs. They’re really more like little mood pieces meant to evoke emotions or simply to invite thoughtful reflection. Or maybe they’re simply a form of head candy to accompany listeners during their own physical/mental deprivation experiences. Who knows.

The more interesting tracks include the eerie and almost ambient “Omaha”; “Cote d'Abrahms Roomtone / 'What's Going On?...' (From Lips of Lying Dying Wonder Body #3)” with its “Several Species of Small Furry Animals…” like electronic noises and rambling recorded voices; and the heavily acoustic and hopeful-sounding “Injur: Gutted Two-Track...”.

But the real gem in this collection is the ten-minute slowly-building “Jesus/Pop...”, which is not only the most cohesive track on the album, but also the closest thing to a Godspeed work as you’re likely to hear anywhere outside of that band’s own four albums. And speaking of Godspeed, there are many snippets of strings, guitar, and percussion sprinkled throughout the album that can be traced back to the first two Godspeed albums if one felt the urge to pick through and identify them. Again, not surprising considering that except for Efrim Menuck, most of the key players from that band appear here as well.

The thing I like best about this album is that it incorporates the best of the eclectic and disturbing instrumental experimentation found with Godspeed, but at the same time avoids the rather predictable slow-intro/street-sounds/crescendo/explosion/fade pattern that Godspeed slipped into on all three of their full-length albums. In that respect this is a lot more experimental and adventurous, much like several of the A Silver Mt. Zion albums of the last few years.

This music isn’t for everyone, not even for all fans of experimental or post-rock music. If you are a bit of a stoner, you’ll undoubtedly find this album to be a stimulating sensory experience. Likewise if you’re just bored with predictable progressive music and are looking for something new that stretches the boundaries. For adventurous souls like these, this is a highly recommended work, and a four star experience.

peace