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Early Day Miners | Let Us Garlands Bring

Music that has come to terms with its loneliness.
CD, Secretly Canadian/Konkurrent

Tekst: Bas Ickenroth

Publicatiedatum: 10 november 2002

I love 'em. I simply do. Earlier this year they released the enhanced EP Stateless as a collaborative work with Unwed Sailor and photographer Chris Bennett, and now they return with a complete album of their own: They're the Early Day Miners. This band from the midwest of the USA made, with Let Us Garlands Bring, one of the best albums of the year.

Do I hear someone say "Ouch, that's a bold statement"? Well, maybe it is, but it's also a true one. The music is somewhere situated between Low, Slint, and Will Oldham (in any of his incarnations), and is at least of the same quality as those three examples. With their music they let you travel through the desolate landscapes in their home territory, and once in a while, you pass through a small and silent village, where the native people have come to terms with their loneliness.

There's a certain serene aspect about that loneliness, and that serene quality is translated beautifully into their music. The vocals sound a bit like a depressed Tom Barman of dEUS fame, and compliment the instrumentation of guitars, percussion, and strings in a truly fantastic manner. With albums as good as this, it's always hard to pinpoint the highlights, but 'Offshore,' with its intense climax, and the instrumental 'Autumn Wake' deserve some extra credit.

And that's the Early Day Miners for you: beautiful, slow songs; a quiet and desolate atmosphere; magnificently performed. I'll say it again: Let Us Garlands Bring is one of the best albums of the year. Period.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/recensie/early-day-miners/let-us-garlands-bring/2030/
Meer Early Day Miners op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/early-day-miners