Lost in the Glare & Shadowland - Barn Owl (#8, 2011)

I definitely wanted Barn Owl in the Top 10 last year. #11 Record of 2010... so close! This year's double-whammy of shamanistic drone-doom is too much to deny. Deep, mang.

The title track from Shadowland was also featured on Vol. 6 of the blog compilation series [***current download link***].

Let's talk about the EP first. In addition to Astral Vol. 6, you can stream & download the title track over at Stereogum. Good preview tune and the shortest of the three...



"Void and Devotion" from Shadowland EP (2011)

That's the ultra-drone opening track, which lulls & hypnotizes - like a gauzy, vibrating crystal onion, hovering way up in the middle of the air.



"Infinite Reach" from Shadowland EP (2011)

The closing song has a swaying, sawing motion that often seems to teeter on the edge of a cliff. Will it fall? Has it already?



"Pale Star" from Lost in the Glare (2011)

The full-length's opener title seems like a callback to the previous LP Ancestral Star (2010) and its theme of an overnight in the desert. Well, I guess most Barn Owl tunes have some connection with deserts or skies or desert skies. But I haven't parsed out a coherent 'story' on last year's Lost in the Glare.

"Turiya" by Barn Owl from John Davis on Vimeo.

Drums! Shredding!! Whoa...

O wait. I should probably also mention that this sweet tune was featured on Vol. 7 of the MP3 comp series [***current download link***]. If you just want the single file, it came from Altered Zones.



"The Darkest Night Since 1683" from Lost in the Glare (2011)

Maximum heaviosity. We're almost back to where we started, in Sunn-O))) territory kinda. So maybe I should just pack up and...



"Light Echoes" from Lost in the Glare (2011)

No, wait!! One more - for a few reasons. First, for the inexplicable use of the Bohemian Grove seal (other than the owl). Second, for the inexplicable coincidence of titles with Steve Moore's latest record. Wild.

Which leaves me about 1 month to finish the last two Top 10's from last year, before I kinda have to come up with something for 2012.

Genre - Open-Desert Mescalinesque Dream-Drone
Official - electrictotem.com/barnowl/
Myspace - myspace.com/barnowlband
Location - San Francisco, CA

Review - Dusted Magazine
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Purchase - Thrill Jockey Records