The Silver Mt Zion Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band – 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons

NOTE:I know I have lost a buttload of "scene points" with this one, but I can NOT bring myself to like this band. How anyone can actually enjoy this is beyond me! But hell, I barely even like Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

Ouch. That describes the first twelve tracks of this album in a nutshell. For no apparent reason, the dozen “songs” (and I use that term loosely) that lead off this album are six second snippets of high-pitched, atonal screeches. And unfortunately for the listener, it doesn’t get much better after that. The four remaining tracks average fourteen minutes in length apiece, and oh! The agony! This is music run amok. If these songs were condensed even into 8 minute tracks, they might stand a chance. Guitars, strings, and chanted vocals drive forward like a broken record. Atmospheric sounds litter the audible landscape as TSMZO&TLLB strive to craft the perfect climax. Problem is, it never comes. I can’t imagine many who would have the patience to sit through this album in its entirety by their own accord. Then again, I can barely think of anyone with enough attention span to make it through their name! The abbreviation alone is mind boggling!