Sunn O))) live in 2014, upcoming collaboration with Scott Walker

There's news afoot from Seattle drone metal band Sunn O))). They're definitely still active, though they try to remain as mysterious and low-key (pun) as possible. It's what I love about them.

Here's an excerpt from a recent live show. Still noisy, still metal.



Here's the Sunn O))) Bandcamp page. Everything they've ever released, including albums and rehearsal demos, are available for streaming and purchase. It's quite nice for the hardcore fan like myself.

I'm currently listening to and loving their collaboration with Ulver, entitled Terrestrials. It really does sound like a follow-up to Monoliths and Dimensions, their 2009 album that lifted them above the constraints of the drone metal genre they created with the band Earth, and into an experimental, orchestral, and collaborative sound.

So. Scott Walker, the guy who released Bish Bosch in 2012, that weird-ass-but-still-listenable album of vibrato, one-tone vocals meandering over minimalist beats, conjuring all kinds of images, ultimately culminating in one of the most original releases I've ever heard, is collaborating with Sunn O))).

They've only released this above image, and 4AD is handling whatever form it will take. Could be an album, could be a smoke-machine-as-album.

Here's a Pitchfork article with more info on Scott O))), and here's a Pitchfork review of Walker's 2013 reissue of his first records. The review delves into a short biography of the man that I thought was very well-written.

Here's an article from The Guardian about the collaboration.

I'm excited for what the future may bring with Sunn O)))! This is a band that gets me excited. They always collaborate with the right people, making art more for the sake of brain stimulation than profit.