A Year in Records #7: A Silver Mt. Zion -13 Blues For Thirteen Moons

13 Blues For Thirteen Moons essentially unfolds in four elaborate and quite wonderful acts. The pseudo-Gregorian mantra of 1,000,000 Died To Make This Sound and the following title track echo the suspense and anxiety of earlier Silver Mt. Zion records like 2000's He Has Left Us Alone.... Black Waters Blowed / Engine Broke Blues, on the other hand, continues where previous album Horses in the Sky left off, with numerous distinct sections that rise and fall seamlessly. It also utilises the band's growing love of the human voice, ending on a memorable vocal round whilst closer Blindblindblind melts into a gradually more delicate and hypnotic paean; the phrase “some hearts are true” epitomising ASMZ's innate faith in the human spirit.

13 Blues... is also rich in the kind of informed political overtones that have been a trademark of main man Efrim Menuck's career. Blessed by a careful lyrical balance of disillusion and optimism, the Montreal septet are consistently poetic in their relation of post-Generation-X political, social and environmental disenfranchisement. Taken in the context of the current musical climate, ASMZ is a beacon of hope. That they can continue to produce work of such ingenious beauty and integrity is crucial to the health of a label like Constellation Records; one of the last and most successful bastions of ethical conduct in an industry awash with exploitation and greed. As such, 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons represents not only a stirring, tectonic collision of folk and classical music, but is also, almost certainly, the most important punk album of 2008.

Video: 1,000,000 Died To Make This Sound (Live)