Some Became Hollow Tubes - Keep It In The Ground

A collaboration between guitarist Eric Quach of Thisquietarmy and Destroyalldreamers and Aidan Girt, electronic noise creator with his solo project 1-Speed bike, and more notably drummer and percussionist in the behemoth that is Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Some Became Hollow Tubes are an instrumental duo that rely on building loops and layering of instrumentation and noise, expertly done on Keep It In The Ground, six tracks of hypnotic joy, that entices and batters the senses, drawing you into the contrasting intense and introspective moments, that though sits within a regular formula, never fails to remain compelling throughout.

Droning industrial chords and smatters of tribal percussion greets 'Red Eyes or Bleeding from the Nose of Mouth' (get ready for some loooong song titles, favoured by many a Post Rock artist), as lighter, treated pulses of keys offer some relief from the tense opening. The tracks remain fairly stationary with just the subtlest of changes, hypnotic in its repetition, touching on a noisy Popul Vuh in its ambience and feeling at home with Flying Saucer Attack. The track builds painstakingly patiently, becoming noisier and darker in its linear procession, as the percussion loudens and the background noises seem more ominous and nihilistic. The pace quickens when rolling drums take more of a centre stage, much like Aidan's work in GY!BE, as the sounds are further layered, resulting in an all-out aural assault by the close. Not one for the sensitive disposition.

'Do Not Run Away or Hide Sick People' is an instant respite, with a lighter tone from the off, though it still feels like a track on the edge. Deep moody, analogue synths weave their sound in a similar fashion to the opener in a repetitive and monotone manner, as Aidan's drums take a steady and unrushed pace. However, the track is permeated by some lovely FX's guitar buried in the background which adds further haunting melancholy to the proceedings. As with the opener, the track builds on itself, becoming fuller and bordering on apocalyptic as the guitars break out into full-on gloriously fuzzed heaviness.

A more relaxed start commences 'Another Bad Subplot About a Boy's Search for his Father' as washes of guitar and synth noises sway in and out of the track like a patient incoming tide before Aidan's busy drumming enters the fray. Deeply-echoed guitar notes chime along as the atmospherics maintain their default position, deeply ambient and full of rich textures and melodicism, akin to Ganger and The Workhouse. The song breaks out towards the close as the volume raises on all instrumentation, taking a deeper, psychedelic stance, as the pace quickens, but rather than the denseness that occasionally occurs elsewhere in the album, here there is plenty of light and the ethereal tones are retained throughout arguably one of the strongest tracks on the album.

The rather brief but wittily titled 'Dad's Last Purchase Was from Bed, Bath and Beyond', with its pulsing electronic chords that envelop the room and just a token amount of cymbals for company, leads us into the shortest named track 'Dog Faced Propulsion', where busy tom-tom drums are accompanied by luscious synth atmospherics in this initially blissful number. The synths are slowly set back, the drums quicken and start to roll as fuzzed noises appear, joined later by electronic squelches of synth effects that 'dance' between the channels, as the whole track turns towards the foreboding. Deeply echoed and fuzz-drenched guitars make an entrance, accompanying the ever more frantic drumming, building to a symphonic and mesmerising close to an epic track.

The drums take on a conventional pattern with 'Construction and Validation of a Conceptional Model of Predicting Individual Choices of Activities in Rural Areas'. Awashed with fuzzed up noise, a bewitching organ synth adds deepness and texture in the background, as a high-pitched distorted guitar takes the track to another level, whilst the remaining instrumentation retains its direct stance and propulsion, before building to a scintillating finale.

Though the quiet/loud dynamic has been done to death Some Became Hollow Tubes have managed to mould originality into six excellent tracks. Brooding and intense, but never overbearing or claustrophobic, Keep It In The Ground is a relentless sonic wonderment that enriches and enhances the listener. Another gem from Gizeh records. Here's to the next chapter.