The Mammoth is big. It’s unlikely that Ghost of the Russian Empire named the album to describe their sound, but it’s certainly fitting. On their first LP (following last year’s EP, With Fiercest Demolition EP), Ghost of the Russian Empire push with post-rock intensity and eloquence, offering a frightening conceptual album large enough to get lost in while also being surgically concise.

It’s hard to discuss an album without at least mentioning the quality of its production. In an environment like Austin, where there are literally thousands of bands*, I would argue that production is extremely important. On the local level, you only have one or two listens to entice a new fan, and that’s probably not going to happen if the recording sounds like shit. Enter Erik Wofford of Cacophony Recorders. In the opinion of Big Diction, Wofford has become the gold standard in producing records for bands in and around Austin, Texas. Having said that, talented producer or not, the songs themselves have to be good. Enter Ghost of the Russian Empire.

The Mammoth is a special album, to say the least. The heavy use of reverb creates a spacious landscape through which it is impossible to navigate. It’s better to submit and wander aimlessly through the vastness. All the songs bleed into each other, never allowing you to come up for air. The quiet parts lull and hypnotize, making it all the more beautifully disorienting when the music swells and the songs reach their climax. The instruments blend into one another as well, creating a wall of sound that hits all at once and often relentlessly. Like My Bloody Valentine, vocals are mixed so far back that they function more as an instrument, supplementing the melody of the lead guitar, leaving the lyrics almost completely unintelligible. Even if you are following along with the liner notes, if you look up for any reason, you are lost again. Syllables are stretched beyond their means, making sure each intended word has a place. And as for the lyrics, well, they’re kind of like kittens bathed in rainbows.

Nope, that’s a lie. I lied just then about the kittens. If you could reduce all the lyrics on the album down to two words, they would be “We’re Fucked.” It is interesting how often the first person plural “we” is used in the lyrics. On an album intently focused around environmental destruction and war mongering, it seems Ghost of the Russian Empire let no one go without blame, even themselves.

“We will ensure a war for every generation / And a rank for every man”

“We had a good run / But the Earth has had its fill”

“We just fuck around / And hope we’re subtle / It was dumb to see a solution / In a way to live beyond our means”

Ghost of the Russian Empire have often been compared to Radiohead. While there is some obvious influence, be careful not to write this band off. With the help of Erik Wofford, they have created a unique sound that is both stunning and functional. This is undoubtedly one of the strongest releases of the year.

*This might not be true, but I’m really not a “research” guy.

The Mammoth is out now on Thirty Ghosts Records

Websites
[myspace]
[official]