Silver Mt. Zion tempt fate with unlucky new record

Artists:
A Silver Mount Zion »

by Kev Kharas, pictures by Gary Wolstenholme [Edit this content] ▾ 16 comments 12:18 December 11th, 2007

The new album from Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band is well weird. It’s got 16 tracks, but the first 12 are all untitled instrumentals. Wacky. Whack?

That’s not for us to say, but 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons is out on March 25th in the US, with what’s probably a similar, uh, ETA scheduled for the majority of our readership in the UK.

Out through Constellation on CD and what Pitchfork.com describe as “180-gram double-LP”, here’s the tracklisting for 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons as sponsored by the Drowned in Sound style guide:

‘Untitled’
‘Untitled’
‘Untitled’
‘Untitled’
‘Untitled’
‘Untitled’
‘Untitled’
‘Untitled’
‘Untitled’
‘Untitled’
‘Untitled’
‘Untitled’
‘1,000,000 Died to Make This Sound’
‘13 Blues for Thirteen Moons’
‘Black Waters Blowed/Engine Broke Blues’
‘BlindBlindBlind’

Among the other curiosities surrounding the record is the fact that it was co-engineered by Howard Bilerman, who used to be in Arcade Fire. No? Not biting? It’s the first LP from the act to feature a lyric sheet.

Yes. Win.

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A Silver Mount Zion

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Interesting...

DanielKelly | 11 Dec '07, 12:21 | X | Reply

SMZ albums

have tended to alternate between great and shit.

He has left us - great
Born Into trouble - shit
This is out punk rock - great
Lightning Paw - shit
Horses - great

therefore I predict this will be shit.

restlessboy | 11 Dec '07, 12:23 | X | Reply

but born into trouble has

the triumph of our tired eyes on it!

ThingsThatFly @restlessboy | 11 Dec '07, 12:28 | X | Reply

and built then burnt

your theory doesn't stand (although ive not got the lightning paw ep)

ThingsThatFly @ThingsThatFly | 11 Dec '07, 12:29 | X | Reply

lies

Brooner @restlessboy | 11 Dec '07, 12:36 | X | Reply

If

the recording of BlindBlindBlind is even half as good as it is live, I will be a very happy man. A crying happy man, but a happy man nonetheless.

jpits | 11 Dec '07, 12:57 | X | Reply

I only really like the first two albums...

...this is gonna be a pain in the arse when it comes to putting it on an mp3 player (although I guess numericals after each 'untitled' would stop the 'same filename' problem).

jrt87 @jpits | 11 Dec '07, 13:09 | X | Reply

blindblindblind

is achingly beautiful.

wisdom | 11 Dec '07, 13:22 | X | Reply

3 of those tracks

are immense, engine broke blues didnt impress me that much.

unsure about the 12 instrumentals...

Jordan_229_2 | 11 Dec '07, 14:00 | X | Reply

half of it is great

i also like born into trouble, probably moreso than he has left, the final four tracks are immense

Jordan_229_2 @ThingsThatFly | 11 Dec '07, 14:01 | X | Reply

it's overblown

and parts of it are embarrassing.

It's not without its moments though.

restlessboy @ThingsThatFly | 11 Dec '07, 15:01 | X | Reply

a Million died

is a fabbo tune when they play it live.

SSoooooo excited by this new album.

flackcaptain | 11 Dec '07, 16:39 | X | Reply

YES!

Great stuff. Really looking forward to this. BlindBlindBlind is one of the best songs they've ever done.

Infromation:
Howard Bilerman co-owns Hotel2Tango (along with Efrim and Thierry, who are both in A Silver Mt. Zion). Hotel2Tango is where GY!BE recorded all of their albums (apart from Yanqui UXO), and where A Silver Mt. Zion have recorded all of their records. He played drums on 'This is Our Punk Rock...' by A Silver Mt. Zion, because they didn't have a drummer then.
Arcade Fire recorded their first album at Hotel2Tango. THey needed a drummer. Therefore he drummed on the record for them.
So it's not really suprising that he co-produced A Silver Mt. Zion's new record. It would have been more 'curious' if he wasn't involved with it at all.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Pedantic.

Lordjamwad | 11 Dec '07, 17:55 | X | Reply