Demand To Be Taken To Heaven Alive!

Description

Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive! by Horse Lords is incredibly precise and deeply human. The twelve tracks that make up the album are of great tonal and rhythmic complexity, creating a sound labyrinth with an irresistible groove. The artists are not necessarily scientists, logicians, or spiritual guides, but thanks to their personal understanding of order and experience, they offer experiential access to heightened states of consciousness. Founded in Baltimore in 2010, Horse Lords emerged from another group called Teeth Mountain, and started as a trio with guitarist Owen Gardner, bassist Max Eilbacher, and drummer Sam Haberman, to which alto saxophonist Andrew Bernstein quickly joined. Although the quartet was born from a noise and experimental rock scene, a rich environment of artists and outsiders that has seen the birth of many influential outsider groups (Lungfish, Matmos), their approach, through six albums, various collaborations, and notable live performances, has proven to be more eclectic than the pointillist rhythms of instrumental electric rock might suggest. For this new opus, they are joined by bass clarinetist Madison Greenstone, trombonist Weston Olencki, and, for the first time for Horse Lords, by the voices of Nina Guo and Evelyn Saylor. The choice of titles is always laden with meaning, and Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive! is no exception: transcendence and elevation are inherent to the music, and if all art is political, Horse Lords' aspirations are optimistic and community-centered. Transformation and reinterpretation are not just a compositional strategy, but a philosophical perspective, as evidenced by themes such as "A City Yet To Come," the title track, or the utopian references sprinkled throughout the album. The tension between the aspiration for an ideal and what constitutes our lived reality is also palpable, as evidenced by the influence of the poem "The Earth Is Closing in on Us" by Mahmoud Darwish in "After the Last Sky," which uses the Palestinian case to problematize the group's utopian quest, acknowledging that it relies on a sense of security inaccessible to many. Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive! contains many sonic and conceptual layers, but given the undeniable power and humanity of their music, exploring them is a deeply enriching experience. Few records immediately grab us and offer a completely new experience with each listen.