So there is Gnod, a British band, or better put, a collective, which since 2006 has released a massive amount of records, keep an ever-rotating lineup, and make it almost impossible for critics to describe their music with customary terms, as the eccentric act never commits to a specific style for very long.
Even though the band has a rich, twelve year old history and produced a ton of work for anyone interested in their distinctiveness to dive in, this year they released an album which illustrates their peculiarity and exploratory tendencies better than any other.
Chapel Perilous followed last year's more furious and heavily political, Just Say No to the Psycho Right-Wing Capitalist Fascist Industrial Death Machine, and it is established on its two most stirring tracks: the fifteen minute-long opener, Donovan's Daughters, and the heavy closer, Uncle Frank Says Turn It Down. The three songs between these two keystones are representative of Gnod's calmer and more atmospheric traits, still devious and unsettling enough to be considered more than mere fillers.
Donovan's Daughters is an exciting journey between the risk-taking explorations of krautrock and the openness of post punk, a breathtaking number, meant to be better listened to rather than described. On the other end, Uncle Frank Says Turn It Down is a chaotic noise rocker which makes Fugazi and The Jesus Lizard seem harmless.
Gnod's sophisticated act and hyper-productivity are not very easy to follow, but it can be worth the try if you want to mess with your head a little, in a safe and definitely gratifying way.
ZR