EARTHBALL - Actual Earth Music Vol. 1 & 2 LP

Highly recommended.

Two caustic, yet alluringly unreal live sets from the Canadian noise-rock entropy hunters. Following on from the group’s critically appraised ‘It’s Yours’ LP this release captures the band at the peak of their powers, playing live, composing spontaneously.

Side A features EarthBall live at The Fox Cabaret in Vancouver, supporting Wolf Eyes on August 4, 2023. Jeremy Van Wyck from the band considers this “the gig that sent us into orbit, really. Causing Olson and Young to wax poetic about our interstellar jams to a fine bloke across the big sea. Upsetting our casual rhythm and forcing our hand.”

Now, with the birth of this live series ‘Actual Earth Music’, it seems only fitting that Volume 1 should be this gig. It’s a doozy. Listening back is a pure revelation. EarthBall whip up a vortex of thrashing wild energy, the ecstatic release is off the charts. “You don’t always catch every nuance of the jams as they come down. I mean, this one felt good, but upon listening back to the tapes, it sounded very good” confides Jeremy. “It reminded me of Von Trier’s Melancholia: the sound of a large sphere coming toward you to bring doom. However, this one reverses course, heading away to some other shore, bathing you in reflective bliss before saying goodbye—instead of ending humanity as we know it”.

Volume 2 occupies Side B, showcasing a collaborative summit from the second night of their Café OTO residency on May 21, 2024. This event featured EarthBall laying down three separate sets—all collaborations. This second recording presents their opening performance and features pivotal UK improv luminary Steve Beresford on piano and free-jazz phenomenon Chris Corsano on drums.