Review Summary: It may be only a twelve-minute, two-song 7", but "July" kicks off this year's inevitable flurry of Thou-related records with great class, precision, and execution from both bands involved.
This split 7" between San Francisco Bay Area sludge act
Kowloon Walled City and characteristically prolific Louisiana doomlords
Thou kicks off the 2012 season of
Thou-related releases with great precision and execution, and a level of uniqueness that is uncommon among similar cover albums. Part of a series of splits called
Hell Comes Home,
Kowloon Walled City contributes a cover of
Low's "July," while
Thou puts out a rendition of
Soundgarden's "4th of July," and both covers absolutely do the originals justice while simultaneously adding flourishes unique to the two bands involved. The first of the two, an interpretation of "July," a song initially written by Minnesota slowcore act
Low (appearing on 2001's
Things We Lost in the Fire), is a far cry from the crushing, tormenting wall-of-sound characteristic of
Kowloon Walled City's other output. This may be primarily due to its utilization of guest vocalist Lisa Papineau, whose relaxed, airy cleans give the cover a feel that lacks the heaviness that would usually be expected from the band. This, however, is by no means something that hurts the cover: in fact, the overlaying of soaring female vocals atop filthy sludge riffs complements the song, giving it a reverence for the original that may have otherwise been lacking. This
relative lack of heaviness - it is by no means a light song - also serves to set up the much more intense cover that follows.
Thou are, as always, in top form as they provide a typically excellent rendition of the song "4th of July," originally performed by grunge legends
Soundgarden on their 1994 hit
Superunknown. Like
Kowloon Walled City,
Thou choose to utilize clean vocals on their cover, yet unlike the former, these cleans are accented by vocalist Bryan Funck's tortured, slightly blackened shrieks. This devastating interplay of vocals combines with
Thou's signature plodding, downtrodden, swampy riffs and a couple of short-but-sweet solos courtesy of guitarists Matthew Thudium and Andy Gibbs to craft a truly exceptional cover that stands out even among the extensive catalog of a band that consistently churns out extremely well-made covers. These two tracks, one a mildly psychedelic
Low cover and one a skull-crushing slab of
Soundgarden worship, coalesce to make
July one of this year's most well-executed splits to date, creating anticipation for the rest of 2012's inevitable flurry of
Thou records while hopefully sowing interest in the slightly less well-known, but also excellent,
Kowloon Walled City among listeners and fans.
