Barn Owl - Lost in the Glare 2011

In five years, San Francisco's Barn Owl have amassed a nearly prolific catalog in a variety of formats: singles and EPs, limited-edition CD-Rs and cassettes, as well as standard LPs and CDs. Lost in the Glare marks their second album for Thrill Jockey and eighth overall; it follows the TJ 12" EPShadowland released earlier this year and, like it, was recorded at San Francisco's Lucky Cat by engineer Phil Manley. While Barn Owl have always pursued their own kosmiche aesthetic, guitaristsJon Porras and Evan Caminiti have built upon it subtly over the years. Lost in the Glare is a culmination of that exploration, and in its own deliberate manner, points to a new, more expansive sonic direction. Over eight cuts and 41 minutes, Lost in the Glare reveals itself to be the most dynamic and diverse record in Barn Owl's oeuvre thus far, though it may not seem that way initially. Opener "Pale Star," with its delicate balance of strummed and fingerpicked guitars, creates a typical, quiet, trance-like drift. That said, on "Turiya" (titled for Alice Coltrane's spiritual name) however, it becomes abundantly clear that something new is afoot. With slow, plodding, brooding drums by Jacob Felix Heule, the distortion and long, deliberately strung-out single-line melody followed by an amped-up series of chord changes (on guitars and Farfisa organ) makes it the most obviously post-psych thing they've recorded to date. An Indian tanpura drones amid speculative guitars on "Devotion I," as cymbals and bells sparsely illustrate the backdrop. While its tempo never changes, everything in the mix becomes more formidable. "The Darkest Night Since 1683" might be an homage to Earth given its barely controlled distortion and blasted-out volume, making it the most menacing cut here. "Midnight Tide" is a mysteriously blissed-out affair until about midway through, when percussion enters, and open, washed-out sonic fields envelope it. "Light of Echoes," though populated by repetitive changes and single notes, becomes a hovering, imposing meld of kosmiche-filled tension, before "Devotion II" commences with a minimal intro then builds to a truly apocalyptic climax to close. While Lost in the Glare is, without question, an instantly recognizable Barn Owl offering and employs their now signature elements, it moves into a welcomed, previously uncharted sonic and psychic terrain. AMG.

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