Earth: Versus The World

Formed in Olympia, Washington in 1989, Earth were never quick to make a name for themselves. Only after a well-timed relocation to Seattle, and the chance rooming of founder Dylan Carlson and a then-obscure Kurt Cobain, did the gears really begin to turn and people start to take notice. However, these people were not in Seattle.

“I think people were confused and didn’t know what to do. We were sort of the odd band out, I guess,” chuckles Carlson today. “We didn’t really fit anywhere. I mean, we do okay but we definitely seem to do better outside of Seattle than inside.”

Recording their first album in 1990, it was a release that has now become a part of history, not only for pioneering the drone doom sound so beloved of Sunn O))) and Boris, both of whom cite Earth as major influences, but also for featuring the vocals of a young Cobain on Divine and Bright, making it long sought-after by collectors. And yet, it was only late in 2010 that the album was finally released in its intended format.

Carlson explains the complex background of the release: “We originally recorded it as a full album, but [seminal Seattle label] Sub Pop only released two songs and then the other stuff came out on bootlegs. We tried to release some of it on [Philadelphia indie] No Quarter but didn’t have a tape copy of it, so it didn’t sound very good. Greg [Anderson, Southern Lord founder] had always wanted to release it the way it should have been and that was the one record that was licensed to – rather than owned by – Sub Pop, so when their licensing agreement terminated I got it back and we were able to release it as it was intended. It’s the way it should’ve been, but history is often different from what you intend.”

They then teamed up with long-time friend and producer Stuart Hallerman (Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Built to Spill) to create Earth 2, possibly the most influential record of the band’s history to date. “It’s kinda funny to laugh about the things we did back on Earth 2 that seemed like the right thing to do even though, technically, they were probably not the correct studio techniques.”

Evidently, they did something right given the slow-burning reception to its mammoth sound, with eventual doom supergroup Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine going so far as to take their name from the album’s second track. “I’m glad people really like and admire it,” he offers in hindsight. “When I did [Earth 2], it was not treated that way, but in time it has done well. It’s part of where I was and where I am now.”

Ultimately regarded as a pioneer in modern rock, how does Carlson feel about his part in creating a sound that would reverberate for decades? “I think most of the bands that have been influenced by us probably want to do their own thing,” he states in the ego-less manner of a musician uncomfortable with the mantle he's been handed. “No-one really invents anything; it’s all a process of rediscovery. If people want to say I did then that’s fine but I would never really try and take credit. I have my own small part in it and that’s enough for me.”

Earth’s occasionally tumultuous relationship with Sub Pop ended in 1996, marking the beginning of a nine-year hiatus that saw the suicide of Carlson’s friend Cobain and a long struggle with addiction. “I don’t think I was a bad person back then but I definitely wasn’t a very sane person,” he confesses. “I’m probably a little insane to most people, but I try to be nicer now. I’m a more honest, humble person.”

It wasn’t until 2004 that Earth was reborn, albeit in an almost unrecognisable form. With the recording of Hex: Or Printing in the Infernal Method, only Carlson remained, bringing with him a new line-up and stripped down sound closer to classic Americana than their wall-of-noise albums of yore. With their Sub Pop dealings over, a new alliance with Southern Lord came about, a decision that Carlson has no reason to regret. “I definitely prefer the business model that Southern Lord has compared to Sub Pop,” he says. “Back then, the only model was the major, so even the small labels were run that way. But there was a real change in Sub Pop from the beginning; even though they didn’t have money they acted like they did and made a big deal of it, and then suddenly they had money and were worrying about it. They lost the plot slightly, but I’m fond of them and I thank them for the opportunity to release music.”

Not only had Earth’s sound undergone a transformation, but evidently so had its founder, eschewing chemical consumption for significantly more earthy pleasures, something he finds as amusing as anyone. “I read a lot, watch a lot of movies… I have five cats so there’s a lot of cat care. I’m pretty much a homebody-type person now that I’m getting older. I can’t really touch intoxicants anymore so my strongest vice is black tea.”

This new, sober lifestyle brought with it new opportunities, not only in terms of recording but also touring, now a large part of Carlson’s life. “It was something I had always wanted to do more of but circumstances were not conducive to it back then and it was more hit or miss. But live, to me, is my favourite thing: looking back at the history of music, live music was more important than what was recorded, then suddenly recorded music became the important thing and the industry really changed after that. That’s my hope – that the major labels fall apart because of their whole business model and that live music will begin to become more appreciated.”

No matter how Earth changes, Carlson is keen to state that some things will always remain. “None of the stuff I do has a big plan behind it,” he insists. “Some things are always gonna be the same – like the tempos and lengths of songs – but as a musician you start to grow, start to play different things and want to incorporate them. If I’m influenced by something it doesn’t mean I want to sound exactly like my influences, relating to what I do. If I learn a new technique on guitar, I don’t want to bust it out right away. I want to integrate it more to the playing so that it sits. If there’s any theme to the changes that Earth has gone through it’s more to do with rediscovering older influences with each record.”

Since the success of the now revitalised Earth, the band’s potential has not gone unnoticed, opening new avenues for exploration. and Carlson recognises the possibilities, “We’ve recently gotten a few songs in a couple of movies, which is nice. Like, the Jim Jarmusch movie [2009’s The Limits of Control], they used one of our tracks from [2008's] The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull and then this other movie used one from Hex. I mean, I would love to do a full soundtrack one day.”

While the thought of an Earth-helmed soundtrack is enticing enough, it’s not the only hand that Dylan has to play, though he is keeping this one close to his chest: “I want to do a solo album; I doubt it’d be radically different but it’ll be something different, that’s for sure.”