March already, huh? The year is flying by. Not really. Shit’s fucked up right now in the world, but at least Tom Writes About Stuff Dot Com has three new album reviews. Aethereus, Rolo Tomassi, and Big Thief. Enjoy.

Aethereus – Leiden
(January 14, 2022)

Oh great, another metal band whose name starts with “Ae”. Aenaon, Aeternus, Aephanemer. Then there’s that Æ shit. Æther Realm, Ætheria Conscientia, Ænigmatum. How am I supposed to keep all this straight? How do these bands expect to stand out, let alone be easily Googled, if their names are like such as “Aegnypmintisrum”?

But this stuff is pretty good, at any rate. Clean melodic power guitar solos, occasional string and/or piano arrangements that break up the technical death metal insanity. It adds a progressive edge that reminds me heavily of Atheist.

It’s hard to believe that there’s only eight tracks on Leiden, considering how packed it is with good musical ideas. I like that the band isn’t afraid to lock into a rhythmic groove, like the bassline throughout “Shrouded in Kaleidoscopic Skin”, which still lets the leads and drums carry the flurries of notes over the stable, established foundation. It’s not just chaos for the sake of chaos. I also like the slow, traditional heavy metal ending minutes of “Son of a Nameless Father”. Emotionally resonant music like this is a fantastic example that a tech death band needn’t always be technically jaw-dropping to be powerful.

If you have to listen to just one tech death album that came out in January 2022, then make it Aethaeaeaeaereus!

Early Verdict:

Rolo Tomassi – Where Myth Becomes Memory
(February 4, 2022)

There’s a special place in my heart for Rolo Tomassi, the English post-hardcore spazz band that continues to inch their way, ever so slowly, ever so carefully, into fully embracing the beauty of soothing drones and artful, delicate minimalism. Evolve as they do while still weaving in the chaotic mathiness of their signature female-fronted metalcore sound, they strike a perfect balance between these two worlds beyond what I thought was possible given their current trajectory. I asked myself after their 2018 album Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It, which was Rolo Tomassi’s first real dramatic creative departure, how they would progress from there. And, of course, listening to this 2022 album brings clarity! As if I always should’ve known! And yet, once again, I find myself asking the identical question. Where do they go from here? At this point, you need to trust these fine musicians. They clearly know what they’re doing.

I won’t go as far as comparing this to Low or Slowdive, because it’s still not even close, but the elements that make those bands so unpredictably exciting is all over Where Myth Becomes Memory. Tense, mesmerizing buildups, satisfying crescendos of melody, seamless fusions of classical music sensibilities with colorful fireworks of electronic energy.

I need to spend a lot more time with this, but it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Six albums in, and the band still hasn’t peaked. You can be sure of that.

Early Verdict:

Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
(February 11, 2022)

The good thing about an album like this with such a long name is that it pads out my little blurb nicely. Watch! Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You. That’s the stuff.

Full disclosure: Big Thief makes me cranky. Their existence was brought to my attention with June 2017’s Capacity, which features a photo of Adrianne Lenker’s uncle holding a baby Adrianne Lenker. Since I had my own baby to hold in such a manner in that summer, and I probably looked just as young as her uncle did even though I was 29 years old, the photo resonated with me. It’s still the first image that comes to mind when I think about the band.

That photo isn’t why I was cranky. I was cranky because Big Thief had never clicked with me. 2019 was a year-long celebration of these Berklee nerds’ music with U.F.O.F. and Two Hands receiving tremendous praise. Again in 2020, Lenker’s solo output of Songs and Instrumentals won everyone’s hearts while leaving me cold. After a silent 2021, Big Thief drops a giant 80-minute studio effort. Who churns out the goods this fast and doesn’t have a name that rhymes with Bing Bizzard and the Bizard Bizard? SERIOUSLY.

All that preamble is important to know, because, finally, after five years, Big Thief hath clicked! And it didn’t even take multiple listens. “Time Escaping”, the second track, won me over completely. With its spirited (and rhythmically challenging) string plucking, the lively drumming, the neat echo effects, and the organic lead-in to the start of the song that they decided to include in the recording, it’s unlike anything else I’ve heard and tried to like from their previous four albums. I still can’t stop listening to it.

From that moment forward, my mind was opened and letting all sorts of stuff in during my Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You listening experience. The demented psychedelic progression of “Little Things”, the folky shoegaze of “Flower of Blood”, the sparse beauty of “Simulation Swarm”, all enhanced by my newfound appreciation of Lenker’s lovely voice. Is she a better singer now than she was before? How have I missed this?

Here’s what cinched it: I can’t believe how fast these 80 minutes go. Every single damn time I listen to this, I just can’t believe it. It’s so well-paced and engrossing. ESPECIALLY, when compared to the slog that is the new 85-minute Beach House album. This is an amazing feat to me, the guy who hates anything over an hour long! I have become a believer. Thank you, Big Thief. Sticking with you has finally been worth it!

Early Verdict: