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The Desert
Fathers: The Spirituality
When considering The Desert Fathers and their sound, you have to start by asking yourself, "Do I enjoy Steve Albini and the engineering he does with countless bands?" If you answer "yes," then you know that you can be almost guaranteed to love it. Albini certainly has a heavy hand here, but the Desert Fathers are clearly the brains behind the sonic sludge that appears before us. With The Spirituality, we are treated to an innovative sound that remains a delight for the entire duration. The album is rich with soulful vocals while the music oscillates between soothing and ruinous. "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" and "Angus Dei" are two tracks where one can tell that this band is obsessed with Gregorian chants, whereas "Life After Life Everlasting" is a good enough reason for this album to be called "The Spirituality." Its echoing vocals and eerie keyboards are what you might expect to find in Purgatory. "Evolution" is even more disturbing, because the melding of wailing vocals and jagged guitars is enough to make your head fall off and render the rest of your body numb. The unconventionality of "Transmorph" is refreshing, as this song is a perfect mix of the band's vital force and Albini's knack for distorting guitars and drums to the point where they sound like didgeridoos and harpsichords. Thankfully, however, there isn't a song on the album that sounds like another one, so you run little risk of growing bored. If you find solace in bands such as Don Caballero and Godspeed You Black Emperor!, then you will find this album to be a welcome addition to your ever-growing collection of uber-hip music nobody's ever heard of. (I'm just kidding with all of the math rock/post-rock fans, because I know how touchy you all can be.) In all seriousness, buy this album and name drop The Desert Fathers at your next indie-rock rendezvous...that is, unless you find this record to be so 2003.
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