Album Review: Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra – Kollapz Tradixionales

I first recall hearing of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, purveyors of one of the finest and lengthiest band names around, a couple years back whilst in the mountains of New York State for All Tomorrow’s Parties. I was more than likely intoxicated, but I remember really getting into the band’s sound, a kind of epic, swirling, twisting mess of rambunctious yet lovely strings and sheer noise and slightly dissonant vocals. It appealed to me then, in that unique environment at that wacky little festival, and it still appeals to me now.

The short version, little darlings of mine, is that you should go out and buy Kollapz Tradixionales. It’s good. Very, very good. It’s an album that sprawls, seemingly, from here to eternity and then some. The Orchestra is very good at creating varying levels of sonic exploration, daring you to try to stick a genre on them (I myself am gonna steer clear of such an attempt). But if you’re down with Godspeed You Black Emperor, and love wacky bands from Montreal, well, you’ve possibly got a notion of what they’re all about.

Each song is its own animal, breathing and feeling something totally different than any other song on the record. The general mood is unsettling and slightly unstable…but in a wonderful way. The Orchestra keeps you on your toes, throwing everything but the kitchen sink at you. It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad album, a cracked fairyland where the unexpected is to be expected, and disparate elements create something bizarrely ethereal. It’s the kind of album that baffles the mind, confounds the senses, and can very likely cause headache, dizziness, and disorientation. Do not attempt to drive while listening to Kollapz Tradixionales, until you know how it will affect you. But by all means, listen to this album repeatedly, because it most certainly does a body good.

mp3: I Built Myself a Metal Bird (Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra from Kollapz Tradixionales)