Cerberus Shoal "...And Farewell to Hightide" / "Elements of Structure/Permanence"
After 'Farewell,' band turmoil took its toll, and the band saw somepersonnel changes as well as battles with their label. In the end, theShoal needed a change, and joined together with fellow Maine bandTarpigh, who created strange music with Middle Eastern instruments. Theband played a few shows together, at the same time that the Shoal wereinvited to write a soundtrack to two silent films by a friend, TimFolland. In a brave move, Folland asked the band to improvise whilewatching the films, and record their first takes only as thesoundtracks. Cerberus Shoal was up to the challenge, and even broughtTarpigh along for the ride. The resulting album is two pieces, namedafter the films they accompany, and the two bands liked the experienceso much they joined together as Cerberus Shoal. The release marks aserious style shift for the Shoal, one that would affect their soundforever. Some elements are still there from the 'Farewell' era, likeSutherland's low bass, the always skilled drumming of Tom Rogers, andthe droning guitars. But the addition of Tarpigh brought about a newexperimental side to the Shoal. The improvised nature of theproceedings seems like it became almost a blueprint for futureprojects, where the band would just "let go." Eric LaPerna's percussionis a central point here, and on every Shoal release since. Gone are thesung vocals, replaced with something far deeper and more disturbing.Tim Harbeson, multi-instrumentalist who wields trumpet, flute,recorder, and accordion here, is the real star, switching and addingflavors on a whim. "Elements of Structure" starts out fairly tempered,but then slows in the middle only to explode at the end in a sprawlingjam that resolves in a piano/guitar/percussion soother. This is thebest Cerberus Shoal, the evolution towards something better."Permanence," the longer of the two tracks, is also more of a jam thanthe first. Each member gets moments to spread wings and fly, making forsome interesting solos and expanses. Having never seen the film, Iimagine each solo as a new character like "Peter and the Wolf." Orperhaps each solo is a new lament or crisis point. Either way, theapproach is very effective, and the music is moving, indeed. And withtwo tracks at over 57 minutes of music, it's an egrossing listen. Bothof these reissues are defining releases for Cerberus Shoal, andavailable for the first time in years. Don't miss out this time.
