Review Summary: Mastodon represent surrealist uncertainty on their new album.
In order that the rest of this review might be understood more easily, I invite you to contemplate the following image: there is a volcano. It is starting to erupt, and as the lava and smoke and assorted pieces of grit start to pour out of it, it becomes apparent that this is not a normal eruption – the colours are more vibrant than usual and the overall effect of random exploding matter is quite similar to a carnival with loads of fireworks. Cute. This scene is complicated somewhat by the emergence of dinosaurs, which seem to be climbing out of the volcano, which is still erupting. Furthermore, it becomes clear that the volcano is actually on another planet. What the hell. Neither the dinosaurs nor the extraterrestial situation are particularly relevant to anything, but they are still an important part of underlying context; this might seem like earth, but it is in fact subtly different. This should not be forgotten, because it is an easy way to explain things that happen without warning or accordance to what one might expect.
The truth is, nobody is safe anymore: Mastodon has released a pop album, and it’s a really good one. The meaning of ‘pop’ will possibly be elucidated later in this review, but it is not of primary significance. Musical genres are of little importance here, because Once More ‘Round the Sun is best considered with respect to surrealism. Now, aside from the fact that the album cover has a magnitude of color that might be associated with hyperreality, this claim might seem somewhat bold. However, if one examines surrealism, one is faced with a choice: either reject subcultural capitalism or conclude that language has objective value, given that the premise of patriarchialist narrative is valid. Regardless of whether it was intended, Mastodon capture a surrealist theme in their imagery, song titles and lyrics, most notably in the otherworldly romp of
Halloween, the brooding dreamscape of
Asleep in the Deep and the supernaturalism of
Diamond in the Witch House.
Having established an album that is subtly yet firmly surreal, Mastodon also explore the aforementioned choice implicit in surrealism – the viewpoint offered in their lyrics is definitively that of the patriarch (“I take the ground below you” is the exclamation of an individual associating himself with a firm foundation, “I’m a man and that’s who I am…I’m from the clouds and I shine like the moon and I’m here to *** up the place” is an assertion of male dominance and power, supported by “If you want…I can put it right there in your hands”). However, this patriarch is constantly unsure of how to deal with present reality.
Asleep in the Deep offers a vision of paranoia and insecurity,
Ember City concerns itself with dealing with the past, future and present in a manner that casts the consequences of present actions in a highly dubious light, thereby leaning towards the rejection of subcultural (or individual) capitalism, but
Tread Lightly is a call to arms advocating steadfast faith in objectivity as a whole, warning of the rejection of individual, capitalistic struggle. Therefore, in
Once More ‘Round the Sun, Mastodon offer a portrayal of the modern patriarch exploring the underlying question behind surrealism in a surrealist context. This question is, of course, left unresolved, but the album still offers it a degree of consideration unprecedented in a modern ex-metal band.
Consider the first paragraph, and the crazy bits (the volcano, the dinosaurs, space, the whale abortion and the
pretty colors.)
Once More ‘Round the Sun has loads of crazy moments too, and they are also presented in a deceptively commonplace context. Mastodon have abandoned most of their progressive tendencies and write songs that stick fairly close to a simple formula, but every now and then something happens to shatter this mundane context like a basket of dodo eggs en route to the Montauk Project. Examples include the acoustic plonk of
Diamond in the Witch House, the spiritual mantra at the end of
Aunt Lisa and the improvised sitar solo in
Asleep in the Deep. These moments are not jarring (our imaginary protagonist was not unnerved by the absence of Planet Earth or the presence of dinosaurs) but they still add a great level of atmosphere and character.
So,
Once More ‘Round the Sun is the most intelligent and subtle album to emerge in recent times. It explores surrealism almost well enough to account from the fact that the riffs here aren’t as good as they used to be. Because there is also next to no sludge here, this is probably the worst Mastodon album since
The Hunter, since Mastodon are basically defined by riffs and sludgy atmosphere, with some sci-fi thrown in liberally. However, this album’s intellectual value is enough to maintain a high level of quality throughout, and it therefore transcends the limits of what constitutes a Mastodon album, in the traditional sense, and stands strong as a piece of actual, objective music.
Disclaimer: my reviews are only written because they are intended to reflect a sentiment, opinion or insight that has not been captured by other reviews. They are therefore untraditional and should be read accordingly.
