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A Silver Mt. Zion - 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons CD (album) cover

13 BLUES FOR THIRTEEN MOONS

A Silver Mt. Zion

 

Post Rock/Math rock

3.70 | 76 ratings

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Prog-jester
Prog Reviewer
4 stars I'm shocked with the amount of criticism latest ZION record receives :(

Seriously, this is their best record since debut (along with magnificent 'Horses in the Sky' surely). The main thing you should do during listening is to distance yourself from what you've already known about ZIONs. After short intro (12 diminutive drones) '1 000 000 Died To Make This Sound' begins, quite 'ZIONly' for few minutes (y'know, all these choirs and violins)...but suddenly it all bursts into Ambient Punk/Noise Grunge/Garage Folk stuff, with riffs thousand times more groovy than any rock'n'roll band EVER tried to play! Efrim shouts an alphabet, near the notes as usual (but never near the PROPER ones, ha-ha!), and you're yelling along, and when the song ends you feel like you've been playing it with them on stage. Good Lord, I've always loved both GY!BE and ASMZ for their subtle, even gentle sense of melody and atmosphere, but this primitive sweating ROCK blows me away! Easily the best track.

Namesake follows, the longest and dare I say the least captivating epic here. Some cute 5/8 playing, but nothing too spectacular (well, lyrics are even more angry and sincere than on any previous record!). 'Black Waters Blowed/Engine Broke Blues' is the shortest epic here (13 minutes long!), unjustly considered by many to be the weakest one too. Just listen to this 'we go!' part in the middle - these two minutes are my favourite bit in the whole album! Closing 'Blind Blind Blind' is the most 'ZIONly' track here, with predictable yet haunting climax and ear-friendly-easy-to-hum melody and cute chord progression. I must admit it's the most suitable track to end the whole thing.

Now, re-write your reviews, folks :) I mean it!!! '13 Blues...' needs more patience to get into, it's not your usual 'take this melody and play it till violin cracks' ASMZ stuff. It's VERY different from what they've being doing before, and I love it. My third favourite album from them...even second one, right after 'Horses...'. EXTREMELY RECOMMENDED!!!

Prog-jester | 4/5 |

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