Subramanium & U.S. Christmas - Split 7'' (Wrest, 2006)

Subramanium & U.S. Christmas
Split 7''
Wrest
2006

Rating: 7 missed connections out of 10

The first side here is Subramanium, a band I know nothing about and any googling just brings up some Hindi/Yogi nonsense.  I guess they have a doomy/black metal thing going on, not bad but nothing worth composing a long form Civil War-style letter over.  The reason I have this is the other side, the U.S. Christmas track "Queen of the World."  Good song, a driving rocker - it had been a while since I had listened to this old version of the band when they were putting the really heavy Hawkwind-style synths over everything (only frontman & guitarist Nate Hall is still with the band as of the writing of this missive). 

Nate Hall - A Great River (Neurot, 2012)

Nate Hall

A Great River

Neurot

2012

Rating: 7.5 gold ingots out of 10

There seems to be a small movement of metal band leaders putting out solo records, and now we have Nate Hall of US Christmas joining the fray.  "A Great River" is just a man and his guitar, singing dark folk songs drenched in reverb, the soundtrack to life on a rundown farm just after harvest season.  The fields lie fallow, the trees barren, the temperatures are brisk and the sun sets early...I'm pretty sure that doesn't make any sense but it's the picture I see in my head.  You could also probably compare this record to Neil Young, which might make more sense given it is actual music.  I often compared his band USX to Young, but that was the more rockin' Crazy Horse era - this obviously sounds much more like Young's folkier output.  Not the vocals so much, but the guitar and overall ambiance of the album.  "A Great River" runs ten tracks with two covers - one of the Townes Van Zandt song "Kathleen," and an a cappella version of the traditional song "When the Stars Begin to Fall," both fine choices that fit well with the originals.  

It will be curious how things progress from here - how USX fans take to this direction of music, how Hall splits his time between the band and solo material going forward, and whether or not I'll ever try to describe music via farming again.  Poor metaphors aside, this is a fine album, one I'd recommend.

U.S. Christmas - The Valley Path (Neurot, 2011)

U.S. Christmas
The Valley Path
Neurot
2011

Rating: 9 piles of deer scat out of 10

To put it simply, USX have outdone themselves. Fully. Right now this is the easy frontrunner for album of the year in my mind, and some folks are really going to have to step their game up if they hope to top it.

For starters, the album is just one song, around 38 minutes long. That's no "Dopesmoker" by Sleep, but it's a damn long song. The song ebbs and flows like the tide, with multiple discernible sections held together by an overall ascetic of...doom maybe? Or depression? I dunno, I've never been much for meaning, but this record would make a perfect soundtrack for the most bleak post-apocalyptic movies...certainly the recently released "The Road" would be a good fit. So if you're starving, wandering a barren land, and being chased by cannibals, I'm pretty sure something similar to this could, would or should be playing.

Another point, maybe the main point that makes this record stand out - it's not metal. Not in the typical sense certainly. USX are generally considered a metal band, but this record is so much more than that. As a non-metal person, most of my comparisons for this would draw from a non-metal world - the first portion reminds me a lot of Black Mountain; just after the twenty minute mark, there is a heavy Dirty Three vibe; and I'd have to think most any Mogwai fan would enjoy their more upbeat sections. There are also moments that make me think of Black Heart Procession, Hawkwind (you can't have a USX release without mentioning Hawkwind), and maybe more than anything, mid-to-late seventies Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

At this point this review is a jumbled fuckin' mess and I'm not sure what else to say. This is an absolutely stunner of an album. It's barely left my car CD player for the last two weeks. As much as I've loved USX's previous work, this is now their gold standard.

U.S. Christmas - Bad Heart Bull (No Mass, 2004)

U.S. Christmas
Bad Heart Bull
No Mass
2004

Rating: 7 important assholes out of 10
 
Even though I dislike the term “stoner rock” as much as most of the bands that get classified in that genre, I’m not smart enough to think of a better group with which to lump U.S. Christmas. This album, their second full length, is quite a leap from their first in both the songwriting and recording departments. The mix sounds much cleaner this time around, and you can really hear all the little nuances that have been muddled somewhat in the past. Texturally, you have to love a band that has a guy playing theremin nearly full time. If you can imagine the Neil Young soundtrack for Jim Jarmusch’s “Dead Man”, a little bit of Hawkwind, some racket that sounds like it belongs in a 1950’s sci-fi movie, and a smidge of southern rock, you have the general idea here.

U.S. Christmas - Prayer Meeting (No Mass, 2003)

U.S. Christmas
Prayer Meeting
No Mass
2003

Rating: 7 gorgeous cheekbones out of 10
 
This U.S. Christmas record either beautifully symphonic or a fucking mess...I’m going with both, and I think that’s what makes it a particularly interesting listen. Some folks might consider this ‘stoner rock’, although I’m not sure what that means exactly. If you’re thinking along the lines of Sleep, Caustic Resin, High on Fire...in other words, bands who really like Black Sabbath and the wrath that has been brought to this land since their inception, then you’re on the right track. U.S. Christmas sound like this, sure; but something about them is a bit off, probably due to the fact that they were born, raised, and exist in a tiny town in the mountains of North Carolina. It’s this extra bit that makes them interesting and not repetitive.