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Promotional one sheet .pdf for NPR17 Bill Horist "Covalent Lodge" click here
Release date March 02, 2010
Reviews for Covalent Lodge
English Reviews
In reading his press release it sounds like Washington DC native Bill Horist has done just about everything, and with just about everyone. Although he has scored films, theatre, dance and video games in his time, he is most notable, however, for his collaborations with musicians and is renowned for his precise style that is intricate yet completely haunting and compelling. It really is like listening to music from another world or another time on ‘Covalent Lodge’. Even the album artwork with its picture of a sort of mystical door in the middle of a green, black and grey forest looks like it could have come straight out of Middle Earth somewhere.
The album has been produced by Randall Dunn, who among others has produced drone kings Sun o))),. On ‘Covalent Lodge’ it is clear that he has been pushed to the limit, but he has pulled it off spectacularly. You get the impression that Dunn and Horist are a perfect combination to make this magical sort of music. It goes so far beyond what you would normally hear, but at the same time without being unfamiliar or alien. It has a real warmth to it. It is like they have taken you into their mystical little forest house and told you a story by the fire, rather than luring you in with some hallucinogenic fruits and then battering your ears with some far out noise that in any other circumstances wouldn’t make sense.
‘Sod Webworm’ and ‘Smeared Slate Gales Warped in Oozing Windows’, apart from having two of the greatest titles ever, are fine examples of the haunting, yet somehow comforting use of very deliberately vague vocals that dominate this album. These vocals sound more like an angelic choir than something more earthly and mundane. This then flows throughout the album with ‘Breath-width Isthmus’ and ‘Requiem for Endless Days’ all of which have their own part on the journey that is this album.
Horist and Dunn totally draw you into their dreamscape sounds and mind expanding ambience. This really is the sort of album that takes you on a journey to a far away place and is a joy to experience. If I could rent a room at Covalent Lodge for a week I would love to, but I doubt there’d be a Rough Guide to do it justice.
Absolutely magical.
pennyblackmusic.co.uk, Adrian Huggins
For his new album "Covalent Lodge", Seattle-based guitarist Bill Horist (who also plays with Musicians of Bukkake and Ghidra) recruited some of the most amazing performers the new music scene currently has to offer, including amazing violist Eyvind Kang (John Zorn, Laurie Anderson, Marc Ribot), Grammy winning dummer Matt Chamberlain, vocalist B.R.A.D. (ASVA, The Accused, MMOB), Steve Moore, Shazad Ismaily, Seattle Harmonic Voices, Jessika Kenney (Gamelan Pacifica) and many many others. With this caliber of musicians I don't think I should even waste any more ink (or pixels) on quality and musicianship. It's all there and there's plenty of it.To musically describe an album this eclectic is however no easy task. It is minimal at times and orchestral other times, flirting with jazz chord progressions, classical ensemble arrangements, experimental/avantgarde improvisations. Bill's signature electric and acoustic guitar arpeggios are the common denominator and glue of this record and
sometimes reminded me of Bill Frisell, other times of Fred Frith. To throw you off and tip your comfort balance Horist's deliberate finger pickings are augmented by a layer of choir that sometimes remind of John Zorn's vocal-only albums like "FilmWorks XXI: The Last Supper" or his yet to be released vocal-only piece "Song of Songs" that he's been performing for a few lucky audiences. In addition to all that, the haunting overtones and subtle all-encompassing melody lines of Eyvind Kang's viola and the worldly drums and percussions patterns by Chamberlain just make this whole thing so special and unique that you'll be hard pressed finding a similarly sounding album. Speaking of sound, it was beautifully recorded by my esteemed west coast colleague (and other member of Master Musicians of Bukakke) Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Boris, Kinski, Earth) at Aleph Studios. You really can't go wrong with this much talent on one disc!
-chaindlk.com Marc Urselli
Horist is a contradictory sort; his solo records are usually loosely Fahey-esque excursions into avant finger-picking. He plays in a dirge metal group Master Musicians of Bukakke. He’s one of those people who play in numerous bands, he’s also written music for theatre, film and video games. So it’s not likely that you can succeed in second guessing what he’s going to do next. What he’s done is to assemble a large group of musicians to provide a lusher setting for his finger-picking forays. Eclectic they are, numbering amongst them viola, harp, cello, trumpet, bass, throat whistle, electronics, percussion, vibraphone, clarinet, flute, trombone etc, there’s enough variety to play whatever is needed and enough agility to quickly change tack.
They move through the songs as easy as a hungry goat through greenery. The songs are fluid enough not to be pinned down, each one shifts time signatures or genres and all provide at least one or two ideas that snare listener interest, ‘Glenn/Ganges’ starts with acoustic guitar and it seems like it will proceed in a Pullman/Brokeback way, that’s until to muted brass comes in like something from a 1950’s film noir scored by Lalo Schifrin.
The contrast between the acoustic guitar playing pretty standard fare and the assembled other instruments is the main device at play, ‘Affable Hauntings’ brings in squalls of laptop noises, ‘Requiem for Endless Days’ contrasts with the elegant figures of a classical string quartet (amongst other things) it recalls Rodan, the Rachels and other orchestral post-rock practitioners. The flaring of the harp alongside the squeal of electronics expands on the sonic palette of the pioneers. The addition of vocals (with nothing as mundane as words) on the two ‘Specious Phylum’ pieces, have an eerie quality, like wind funnelled through a barn.
When the elements gel there are passages the sweep along like an irresistible river of sound ‘The Breath Within the Isthmus’ sparkles with inventive touches like sunlight flicking of the top of a playful trout. It is in places a bold work and a meditative one, for anyone interested in any of the artists mentioned this will prove an excellent restorative.
americana-uk.com
Bill Horist immerses you in a world composed entirely, exactly, of sound. His new release, Covalent Lodge, is a journey.
Our hero on this venture, the acoustic guitar, rubs elbows with a colorful class of instruments, from percussion and bloodless vocals to a sovereign violin under watchful ambience. And there’s so much more. But all this instrumentation comes subtly, as nuance within nuance. This grants Horist’s work a deceptive richness.
For all its instrumentation, Covalent Lodge captures the focused and directed work of one mind rather than a collaboration. And it is, to be sure, an album, with no one song alien from the next.
Covalent Lodge won’t survive snap judgments. Trust the musicians here. The music is orchestral, a work of magical realism and, as such, is given to bouts of dissonance, experimentation, exploration. It’s instrumental, but oh so lyrical. No catchy numbers, no hooks–just awesome.
-Delusions of Adequacy
Bill Horist is one of those people out there in the world who is so prolific and interconnected that he has virtually no competitors. This man has accomplished so much that it would be impossible to even begin to list it all within the confines of this short review...so we will just concentrate on the matter at hand. Covalent Lodge is a beautiful album that is remarkable in its execution. The album is neither all vocal nor all instrumental. If this were the 1990s this album be lumped into that annoying world music category. But seeing as how this is the twenty-first century and we have (hopefully) gotten beyond that trite genre classification, this is...more honestly...just smart progressive music that doesn't really fit on any particular shelf. The only real constant here is Horist's meticulous guitar playing. And on this album his playing truly shines. It would be difficult to offer comparisons and/or possible influences here...because they are so vast and expansive. Tons of friends and associates offer a lending help here...making Lodge a totally spectacular spin. TOP PICK.
-babysue.com
I would make a bet that over fifty candles were used during the making of Bill Horist’s new album, Covalent Lodge. Candles were probably the only lights used during the recording of the album. Fluorescent lights, or any electrical light for that matter, would have taken away valuable gentleness and atmospheric dim from this melancholic, orchestral album. There was probably one point during the recording where someone had to be wondering what number would be greater- the number of candles or the number of guest musicians.
Seventeen guest musicians appear on this album, leading my buddy Big to ask what exactly Horist does. Horist holds his own- playing acoustic, electric, and baritone guitars. He also plays keyboards and the bass drum. The gang of extras that join him contribute everything from ethereal vocals, harp, upright bass and the throat whistle to electronics, clarinet, flute, vibraphone and of course- the glockenspiel. What gets the most play are the strings and overall, this is a string-driven album with lead parts mainly played by on the acoustic guitar, presumably by Horist. Most of the instruments do the most damage with single, well-placed notes. Eric Houghton and his throat whistle are window dressing, while Lori Goldston and her cello are the meat & potatoes.
Three times, while listening to this album, I forgot that it was on. And I was listening to it in a quiet office, so it’s not as if I was prone to distractions. The zen water fountain isn’t that loud. But then again, “Covalent Lodge” isn’t that interesting. Nothing on the album really caught my attention. If anything, the lack of distinction did. The album ended and I checked to see what song we were on. Maybe it’s a better album to listen to while reading? I don’t want to wait around and find out though. This album is good, but self-indulgent and boring. Horist is a talented guitarist and arranger, but I feel he gets carried away with the atmospheric, as opposed to the substance. There is nothing to hold on too, nothing to bring you back with.
It sounds like Sufjan Stevens minus the pop or springtime minus the excitement of fewer rainy days.
-wonkavision
German Reviews
BILL HORIST ist bei mir als experimenteller Gitarrist in Seattle abgespeichert, solo und als unerschrockener Kollaborateur von KK Null oder Wally Shoup (als Ghidra). Und inzwischen als einer der Master Musicians Of Bukkake. Covalent Lodge (NPR17) zwingt mich nun, diese Vorstellung erheblich zu erweitern. Horist spielt ganz überwiegend mit akustischer Gitarre feine instrumentale Gespinste, meist mit der Viola von Eyvind Kang, zart verziert mit Harfe, Cello, Glockenspiel. Climax Golden Twin und Christopher DeLaurenti (von der Seattle Phonographers Union) weben elektronisch Sounds und ‚Atmosphäre‘ mit ein. Gelegentlich setzt sich Matt Chamberlain ans Schlagzeug, aber die Strings sind hier das A und O. Wortlose Vokalisation aus Frauenkehlen und von B.R.A.D. spenden weitere Finesse. Aber es ist Horists fragiles Fingerpicking, das dieser Imaginären Westcoastfolklore den Stempel aufdrückt. Titel wie ‚In The House...‘ und ‚In The Arms Of The Specious Phylum‘ oder ‚Affable Hauntings‘ verraten einiges an Sophistication, aber nur ‚Requiem for Endless Days‘ würde auch als Überschrift taugen. Irgendwie werden die Stücke immer besser, als ob sie die Rezeptoren im Hirn von mal zu mal besser auf sich einstellen würden. Das schleppende ‚Sod Webworm‘ mit Gebläse von Hans Teuber (Sunn O))), Kayo Dot) und das dunkle ‚The Imperatives Of Subsequence‘ mit Trompete und Posaune halten einen dann wie Hamlet Yoricks Schädel hielt, zerbrochenes Gefäß von unendlichem Spaß.
-badalchemy.de
Czech Reviews
BILL HORIST přerostl z pojmů performer, skladatel a improvizátor do svébytného hudebního mohykána. Z toho by mohlo vyplynout, že jde o jakéhosi zaprděného tatíka, ovouseného dědouše, který už má vše za sebou a těží ze zašlé slávy. Ne, ne, nikolivjek! S rokem narození `71 nepatří do starého železa. Za svůj relativně mladý život stihnul co jiní neuskuteční za celý. Stovky koncertů po celém světě, půl stovky nahrávek na kterých se podílel jak sólově, tak i ve spolupráci s ostatními neméně věhlasnými jmény (např. JOHN ZORN, RUINS, BILL FRISSELL, MAKATO KAWABATA, KINSKI, KAZUHISA UCHIHASHI, se členy PEARL JAM, EARTH, BOREDOMS). Hudba pro film, divadlo, tanečníky a video hry už patří do výčtu jaksi samozřejmě.
Bez těchto souvislostí lze desku brát jako příjemně poslouchatelnou, tuctovou záležitost. Akustická kytara hlavního adepta tu hraje prim, dále se ve skrytu celku předvede ještě s kytarou elektrickou a bartonovou, zmáčkne klávesy, načechrá basový buben. Snad by to stačilo, ovšem dále tu máme více než dvacítku hostujících lidí na různých postech (hlasy, viola, harfa, trumpeta, cello, basa, elektronika, vokály, bicí, vibrafon, zvonkohra, el. basa, klávesy, saxík, klarinety, flétna, preparované piáno, trombón). O nikom na celé ploše nahrávky se nedá říci, že by jakkoli vyčuhoval. Buď citlivě drží partu nebo na sebe ještě ohleduplněji navazují. Až sférické plochy strunných nástrojů, majestátně prostorové údery, éterické hlasy, čímž se od eventuální laikem vyřčené tuctovosti dostáváme až do magických sfér. Nevím k čemu vše na první poslech přirovnat. Přiložená tisková zpráva titulu, který v podobě LP i CD vyjde až 2. března 2010, několik vtipných podobenství nabízí, ale zkusím je parafrázovat nám bližším umělcům. Tedy pokud bychom nahrávku značně společensky unaveného Štěpána Raka, z jamu s manželi Havlovými a kýmkoli kdo dorazil, pouštěli přes mlhu. V závěrečné „The Imperatives Of Subsequence“ (9) jakoby mělo dojít na celou partu, si pomalým průběhem v mlhou prosyceném sále představíme řádně rozvláčněný bigband Milana Svobody včetně sboru Lubomíra Pánka. Ani jedno z vyřčeného není myšleno nijak odpudivě, ale je vskutku těžké vylíčit slyšené. Slyšené velmi dobře, přestože nahrávka má jaksi ‘normální’ zvuk o nejž se postaral producent alba Randall Dunn (SUNN O))), BORIS, KINSKI, EARTH).
rumzine.com