Trophy Scars and the Holy (Vacant) Trinity ***LISTS***
Top 10 Songs Over 10 Minutes Long by Sam Watson
1.
9. The Only Moment We Were Alone – Explosions in the Sky (10:14)
by Lucas Rossi. Illustrations by Bob and Lucas Rossi Explosions in theOtsuka Sky is one of the few successful
In a Gadda da Vida – Iron Butterfly (17:03)
bands brave enough to produce totally radio-unMost people discount In a Gadda da Vida as a novelty of the friendly music. I’m going to level with you and Have you found yourself over60s, or worse, onlyever know the four minute radio edit. This is say that I haven’t really listened to this song, but the opening songs awhelmingly tragedy. Doattached yourself to a favor and listen to all 20 glorious I respect these dudes and think they should be of one of favorite albums? The firstEspecially few minutes ofyour this psychedelic masterpiece. the drum here. tracks of in anthe album frequently occupy a special solo part middle. I defy you to find a better drum solo, place for fans anywhere, ever.of the work, largely by virtue of 10. Thick as a Brick – Jethro Tull (43:54) their familiarity. Often the best way to gauge This notoriously long song (nearly 45 minutes, or your interest newCrazy albumDiamond is simply – toPink put Floyd (13:31) 2. Shine in onaYou both sides of a record) is on here because it is on theOn first track, and to listenclassic on if something Shine is the quintessential rock song of epic length. bombastic enough to earn a spot, not because catches If you wereappreciate to do this itwith But whatyour mostear. people don’t for what it really is: it’s a good or enjoyable thing. Although I’m pretan album called Vacants (released absolutely perfectHoly baby-making music. in ty sure Jethro Tull basically admitted that themApril of this year after months of struggle with selves. financial and label support), by a band called 3. Maggot Brain – Funkadelic (10:21) Trophy Scars, is what you would “Mother Earth this is pregnant for the thirdhear: time- for y’all have If anyone listens to all 3 hours of this playlist in Echoing guitar strings plucked within the mind of the knocked her up. I have tasted the maggots one sitting I will make out with you. the emphasis universe. I was of notintermittently offended, forfalling I knewrain, I hada to rise above it muscular whisper above them with all… or drown in myentering own shit.” the rest of the subdued instrumentals. Our reflective but almost 4. Trucker’s Atlasbreathless – Modestspeaker Mouserecalls (10:57) the disturbing and perplexing image of his or you’re only If you’ve never given Modest Mouse a chance, lover “feasting onrecent the body of anthis angel a give you a samfamiliar with their albums, trackinwill taxi cab.” The quiettheir ending ofwork the first pling of everything older has track to offer: Solid guitar then explodes into a raw, aggro-blues guitar hooks and manic vocals, interspersed with moments of quiet riff soon joined by drums pushed up high, beauty. beating at your skull, a rising horn section, and a hauntingly soulful chorus of female voices. 5. The Battle of Hampton Roads – Titus Andronicus These sounds are the fiery nightmare that is (14:02) the “Qeres,” a song named after a mythical Probably the only punk song that lasts a full ten minutes withsubstance rumored to be the only method of out becoming insufferably grating. Listen to this one until the killing an angel. The horror movie violence end- it has an unironic bagpipe solo that’ll blow your mind.most accurately be described as a post-hardcore would is more than just symbolic, then; the apparband. The eclectic Alphabet. Alphabets, released in 2006, ent lovers in these songs actually eat angels. 6. Broken Chairs – Built to Spill (19:05) was arguably the height of their use of the style and reflect“Archangel” follows, evidently sticking to the This track epitomizes Built to Spill’s ability to deliver edlong, some of the best qualities of the genre in its simultanetheme, yet what emerges is strikingly distinct meandering jams that are anything but boring. Plus, it features cult yet relatable appeals to youthful anger and love. from what preceded: a sickly-sweet love song, ously some damn good whistling. Three years later, the band released a full-length follow-up: with crystalline piano accompaniment to Bad Luck. Something very strange, however, had happened sappy lines like “Every little kiss that I give to 7. Murray Ostril: “…They Don’t Sleep Anymore on you, is cause you’re beautiful,” but a love song in the interim. Trophy Scars had become an experimental the - Godspeed Black Emperorblues-rock (23:17) band. The angsty punk shouts of frontman and thatBeach…” bares its gnashing teethYou! as our lamenting GSY!BE’s slow builds and intense climaxes can be profoundly conceptual architect Jerry Jones metamorphosed into a narrator howls “The only thing that haunts moving, if you’re Although really, the best Tom Waits-esque growl. This also wasn’t the teenthroaty, me is your quiet patient sobbingenough. and time.” With that part of this song comes at the beginning, where the sad old adult experience of Alphabet. Alphabets, and age/young the opening suite of Holy Vacants ends and Murray Ostril laments his lost childhood. it remained to be seen whether the band could find similar this monstrosity of an album kicks into its full success in a new approach. Fans didn’t have to wait for a stride. Noisy, jarring, intrusive, and above all new full-length to find the answer to that question; it came 8. Bright BlacktoMountain confusing; all Lights suitable– ways describe (16:41) these a year in later on an EP entitled Darkness, Oh Hell. Darkness is Man, these guys are so rockin’. There’s like four climaxes sounds in isolation. where the story of Holy Vacants begins in earnest, and this song and then, all of them great. I can’t Here, is the are monstrosity in itseven think of anything elsecontext. to say about this one,began just toke bowl and freak out humble Trophy Scars as aawhat on the power of this jam. 33
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