Earth, “The Colour of Poison” (Sargent House)
“I wanted this to be a ‘sexy’ record, a record acknowledging the ‘witchy’ and ‘sensual’ aspects in the music… sort of a ‘witch’s garden’ kind of theme,” says Earth mastermind Dylan Carlson in a press release for their ninth studio LP, Full Upon Her Burning Lips. He goes on to allude to the album’s “references to mind-altering plants and animals that people have always held superstitious beliefs towards. A conjuror or root doctor’s herbarium of songs, as it were.” Okay, you don’t have to twist my arm. This longtime Earth fan is all in for the latest chapter in the Seattle band’s quest to alchemize rock to its most stoic and majestic elements.
For Full Upon Her Burning Lips (released today), Earth have reduced ranks to mainstays Carlson on guitar and bass and Adrienne Davies on drums and percussion. These two veterans prove once again that they’re masters of the methodical churn and slow burn. The new record’s another minimalist masterpiece, as it hones Earth’s patient rock into the sort of heavy haze and time dilation familiar to anyone who’s partaken of the sweet leaf. And, yes, it’s sexy and witchy.
“The Colour of Poison” is the rare Earth track that moves at a staccato clip, and those rhythmic hiccups lend it a novel aura in their vast catalog. After that 75-second fanfare, Carlson and Davies lock into a gnarled, disciplined boogie that packs subliminal funkiness, as Davies’s beats slam with the finality of coffin nails being hammered. Carlson’s guitar snarls and subtly twists into a riff that should be carved into Mount Rushmore. “The Colour of Poison” is one of the group’s most accessible songs, but don’t expect it to burn up radio or the streaming services. Earth remain underground to the core.
Earth perform tonight at Neumos with Helms Alee.
Earth — On Tour w/ Helms Alee:
May 24 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
May 25 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
May 28 San Francisco, CA @ Great American
May 29 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
May 31 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
June 1 Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
June 2 Albuquerque, NM @ Sister
June 4 Austin, TX @ Barracuda
June 5 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
June 7 Houston, TX @ The Secret Group
June 8 Baton Rouge, LA @ Mid City Ballroom
June 10 Orlando, FL @ Wills Pub
June 11 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
June 12 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
June 14 Richmond, VA @ Gallery 5
June 15 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
June 16 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
June 18 Somerville, MA @ ONCE Ballroom
June 19 New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
June 21 Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall
June 22 Detroit, MI @ El Club
June 23 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
June 24 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
June 27 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
June 28 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
June 29 Boise, ID @ Neurolux
