Barn Owl Live

As 'Ancestral Star' is released

For a music so sparse and slow-flowing San Fransisco’s Barn Owl do not easily lend themselves to obvious categorisation. It would be easy to dismiss them after a cursory sound bite as yet another instrumental drone/ambient outfit, Sunn O))) disciples drawing out the never-ending riffs.

Yet the intimate setting of Corsica Studios has shown the duo using a very limited set of musical ingredients to create a sound of their own. Given that these days the most common recipe for originality is mashing together as many components as possible, there’s undoubtedly skill in Barn Owl’s minimal approach.

The most startling thing about Barn Owl is the heaviness of the music, as there are no power riffs to speak of. Evan Caminiti and Jon Porras instead rely on a slow interplay between a traditionally tuned pick-style electric guitar and a heavily-treated one. The result is almost a folky, country western element to a drone metal soundscape, reminiscent of later period Earth. The tired quiet/loud formula espoused by most post-rock/metal bands is given short shift.

The unusual silence accompanying Barn Owl’s opening set on a three-band bill was a clear sign of the audience’s captivation, ending in a hearty applause. Barn Owl make the music for the quiet hours that with every listen advances from the background noise to the forefront of the listener’s consciousness.

Words by Anatoly Kurmanaev

Barn Owl – Light from the Mesa from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

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