Across Tundras

ACROSS TUNDRAS-SAGE (8.5)
NEUROT RECORDINGS

Well this is a many headed beast. Ancient Greeks called it the Hydra, a mythical creature that sprung two new heads for every one severed, impossible to destroy, until Hercules put paid to its immortality. Today though, our Hydra is Across Tundras and welcome are their many elements. In lieu of venomous heads we have thoughtful minds melded, all creating mindful songs, each harbouring veritable qualities expounding on a modern mythology.

Sage opens with ‘In Name Of River Grand` and it strikes a delectable balance. Part American Folk fighting with arpeggios reminiscent of a mid-tempo Mastodon, it’s a sound that brings the listener face to face with the raw beauty of the Old West. Drawing upon the well of America’s frontier folklore, to find the musical and lyrical facets to accompany their vision is an accomplished talent. Sage is nine months pregnant with psychedelic groove, fattened on the violence of Indian war drums and has grown to be damn heavy, but in a perceived emotional sense, rather than an obvious, visceral manner and as a unit, they never overbear with technicality to steal your attention. It’s this understated power that gives Sage an innate ability to inundate the imagination. So much so that album closer ‘Shunka Sapa, ` an instrumental piece, has an unmistakeable intent, even without the lyrics as a guide. In this case, it’s not what they say; it’s what they don’t say that does the trick.

Psychedelic music is very much in vogue right now and this is a wholly unique album in a well-trodden area. Eschewing the usual “swamp sound” associated with the aforementioned style, they have created an expansive album. It propels your mind to thoughts of dry arid deserts, flanked by stark, oppressive mountains and put simply; it’s the ultimate in panoramic vistas. Across Tundras…very apt, very apt indeed.

Reviewed by Sam Thor Rhodes