Plays High Gospel

After following Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Thee Silver Mt. Zion to the point of obsession, I was surprised as hell that my friend popped over with some press release version of this album and though nothing of it. I didn't even know Efrim was in the PROCESS of making a solo effort. I was elated. I listened to it straight through four times in a row without stopping. It's pleasantly a departure from GYBE and TSMZ without straying too far... I dare say it's the most straight forward sounding album to date from Efrim. In terms of 'what does it sound like?' I would have to place it in a similar category as Kollaps Tradixionales and Born into Trouble...shorter songs with dollops of lengthier and more avant garde tracks. What struck me most about this album was how positive it was... you can tell fatherhood has given Efrim some zest for life. Whereas I see GYBE albums about strength and power and TSMZ albums about melancholy and hope, this solo effort seems more about the dawn of a new sunny day, as silly as that sounds.

GYBE this ain't. TSMZ this is similar to. Beautiful music this most certainly is.