Frankly I downloaded Barn Owl’s latest LP, because I thought I was downloading Bone Awl. Now there are some similarities between the two outfits; both are noisy and ominous. But the obvious lack of black metal, and the fact that there are a few earthy drones on San Francisco collective’s first full length ‘From Our Mouths A Perpetual Light’ made me realize that I had failed. And thank serendipity for that, otherwise this little gem from 2008 might have been lost amidst the tides of new stuff washing upon our shores.

If you’re familiar with labels like Not Not Fun, Root Strata or Foxglove you already know what to expect from Barn Owl: lots of fuzzy guitar processing, ritualistic slow doom, psychedelic folk and mournful drones shifting and evolving into complex soundscapes. The downside with ‘experimental’ releases like this one is that, most are not ready for prime-time because the experimentations never blossom. Fortunately Barn Owl’s Not Not Fun story is different and is an instant fav. Drummer Mike Bailey also plays his part in baking a cathartic sludgy edge on some pieces, which adds to the overall diversity. Well prepared and well done, Barn Owl’s ‘From Our Mouths A Perpetual Light’ is a keeper, they will be touring Europe in April, so take notice.

Tranced-out psych studies are the order of the day, and wielding an arsenal of guitars, harmonium, harmonica, rhodes and synthesizer, this quartet (well, there are four of them this time around – apparently they have a floating, variable roster of chums to call upon) tap into some creepy pagan atmospheres, and ceremonial drones on a slab of vinyl that’s as white as their death cult robes. Boomkat

I know I haven’t done justice to the photo so here’s the full size.