This album is incredible - such perfect psychedelic stoner rock jams. The whole thing is mesmerising. From the first few riffs on the first song I knew I'd made a good choice. You also know you're in for a treat when the first song is an entire side of vinyl. However, for Earthless that isn't enough, so the title track is a whole record long. There's a 5 minute song in the middle, which for this band is a fraction of a normal song. What's quite incredible is their ability to keep me enthralled whether it's a 5 minute song or a 30 minute song.
I got into Earthless quite late - I certainly wish I'd got into them properly much sooner. I first heard their name when I read a Pitchfork review of this album and saw that Mario Rubalcaba from Hot Snakes and RFTC played drums. That, along with the brief description of stoner rock got me interested and I checked out a song. I enjoyed it and made a mental note to check them out further. I forgot about this entirely until Primavera Sound last year when I saw their name on the line-up. I don't remember seeing it on the first few reads but was very pleased when I saw them on timetable on the day. I went to watch them on my own - I can't remember what everyone else was watching - and it was incredible. They played two songs in the their set, each one long, powerful and had me transfixed. Every now and again I'd realise how into the music I was, which would draw me out for a moment, only to be sucked right back in. The same thing happens with the album - I lose track of everything else going on around me and realised I'm headbanging very slowly to the music.
Nearly a year later, I found this in All Ages Records in Camden and very excitedly bought it. In fact, it was most of the reason I'd gone in there - we'd been in a few days earlier before going to see Gorilla Biscuits and I saw they had a copy of Rhythms From a Cosmic Sky; memories of how great the band were came flooding back to me. However, I didn't want to carry any records around with at the gig, so didn't buy it then. I was in London a few days later meeting up with a friend, so I made a special detour to All Ages. They'd sold the copy of Rhythms but had a copy of From the Ages instead. I was pleased to get any of their albums, so bought it along with a couple of other bits. Needless to say, I was even more pleased when the needle hit the record.
Format: Double 12", gatefold sleeve
Tracks: 5
Cost: £20 new
Bought: All Ages, Camden
When: 25/03/16
Colour: Red
Etching: none
mp3s: no
