This is Our Punk Rock... - A Silver Mt Zion (2003)
This is gonna be hard to explain. Efrim Menuck is a part of Godspeed You Black Emperor (o_O), one of the most unhinged and creative bands of the last 30 years. Menuck started a side project to explore music that was more orchestral and spontaneous (an interesting combination).
The group name changes slightly for each release, which… I mean, not a great marketing move, but it’s cool. The full title of this release is “This is our punk rock” Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing (ironically only their second-best album title) and the artist listed is The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-la-la Band And Choir. So you know…. make of that what you will.
It is every bit as inventive as their sister group, though generally less caustic.
The record is a double-LP comprising 4 side-long pieces, which makes it quite an investment to listen through. It’s generally worth it, though.
While the group never goes completely bonkers into feedback crescendos, you still get an excellent sense of space and dynamics in each piece. The Choir is used sparingly, usually at the end of the pieces and to great effect.
