Evening Fires

Evening Fires - Medicine Man

"Medicine Man" by Evening Fires A friend recently described Evening Fires' music as sounding as though Krautrock came from the Appalachians; to be honest, we weren't really sure what he meant at first, since it's hard to pinpoint any obvious influences. There are definitely some shared creative techniques though - hypnotic repetition, free improvisation, communal folk trance, devotional electronics, periodic noise overload, psychedelic production flourishes - and in EF's case it's all processed via a group mind rooted deep in the eastern hardwood forest, so I guess he was probably onto something after all. The eighth Evening Fires release, Medicine Man was brewed up in the midst of troubled times (personal and worldly) in the first part of 2010, from elements created over the preceding several years, with the larger goal of what my alchemist buddies used to call "compounding the elixir" - transcendence via distillation, y'know. As such, it features an expanded roster (eleven contributors from various phases of the group's existence) and a more elaborate exploration of the studio as instrument, with dense and trippy arrangements creating a surreal sonic landscape in multilevel motion, resulting (paradoxically) in both their most experimental and most accessible release yet. Seven tracks, 57 minutes.
$10.00

Evening Fires - The Book of Wonders

"The Book of Wonders" by Evening Fires Evening Fires’ previous albums have been something of a challenge to peg stylistically, given all the various species of folk psychedelic noise space drone freeform rock comfortably coexisting out in their fields of sound. The Book of Wonders, the group’s seventh release, hardly tries to put up any fences, featuring as it does ceremonial synth destruction (with metal), rural space choogle, acid-etched guitar drone, shamanic tribal drums, and elevated raga extension. But with further organic integration of the elements and added electro-sonic muscle it does carve out some new-style earthworks of monumental intent across their Appalachian landscape. The world is the book, my friends, and the wonders are all around. Five tracks, 54 minutes.
$10.00

Evening Fires - Waves In the Air

"Waves In the Air" by Evening Fires Right on schedule, Evening Fires sail back around the ridge, riding an updraft of sonic bliss on the way to bring us their sixth full-length release. Several of the tracks on Waves In the Air took shape in preparation for a live radio show in summer 2008, and it's clear that the group mind at that point was focused on the possibilities of aetheric streaming and aerial transmission. Formed into a four-track suite that unfolds across some 50 minutes, bringing together saxophone raga & guitar psychedelia & the usual clouds of drone, collecting vibrations and beaming them onward, this is the sound of wide-eyed and windswept. Those whose antennae are similarly attuned are likely to find at least a bit of sympathetic reverberation.
$10.00

Evening Fires - New Worlds for Old

"New Worlds For Old" by Evening Fires New Worlds for Old is the fifth Evening Fires release, and easily the most sizeable one yet. Parts were recorded in early 2008, at a time when the group was trying out its m.o. in a more obviously “rock band” format than usual, though with a pretty wide range that takes in everything from apocalyptic acid sludge to elastic folk rock to large-booted klang, along with further permutations that no one is quite sure what to call. But the rock formations cover just part of the sonic landscape, and there’s also plenty of room for sun-dappled butterfly folk, Appalachian-Mesopotamian village festivals, an interplanetary prana-powered pipe synthesizer, and various other sorts of world-conjuring. Just eight tracks that stretch out across two sound-filled discs, over two hours of long-form explorations.
$13.00

Evening Fires - Blue Mountain Water

"Blue Mountain Water" by Evening Fires Evening Fires' fourth release was originally planned for another label, but when it went belly-up we just had to give the album a rescue via Deep Water. In Fall 2007 a core trio version of the group took the sounds underground (literally – all tracks here were recorded in subterranean settings), exploring collective creation in mostly non-rock formats. The results are decidedly rustic (presented in genuine you-are-there-fi MONO-SONIC sound) and both outward- and inward-bound at the same time. From opiated acoustics to howling electronics to spacious tribal percussion explorations, Blue Mountain Water gives a window onto a spontaneous-shamanism side of the band not usually heard outside of the root cellars and mountain caverns of their northern Appalachian home. Five tracks, 45 minutes.
$10.00

Evening Fires

"Evening Fires" After a year in (slow-motion) preparation, Evening Fires are pleased to unveil their first full-length CD. Though the group includes members of the Clear Spots and Peacefeather , beyond a shared attitude of musical exploration you'd be hard-pressed to find many sonic connections here. "Side A" features a trippy flowing suite sculpted out of acoustic guitars, percussion, organ, synths, flute, and voice; while "Side B" is built around a lengthy invocation that starts from a mountaintop cathedral launch site to soar out over the forested valleys below. Call it folk-infused Northeastern psychedelia if labels are necessary, though the spirit is more important than any categories. . . . Eight tracks, 42 minutes.
$10.00
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