Originally written by Ian Chainey
Shooting Guns‘ Brotherhood of the Ram, LP number three for the Saskatoon instrumental stoner rockers slathered with a side of Canuck kraut, is dressed up in one of the best album covers of the year. If killer first impressions are the goal, Brotherhood of the Ram is a double-take knockout, telling you everything you need to know in a thousand word bat of your eye. In the spectacular snapshot, a big rig barrels down a deserted shipping route as its chased by a torrential downpour. The scene is backlit by a creepy green light, not unlike the color of a cat’s eye. Everything is there: The steady-as-an-autobahn backbeat, the fuzzed out guitars raining down while jam band winds of change blow in theme variations, the hallucinogenic, am-I-really-seeing-this? pulsating vibration of better-metal-through-chemicals. Everything.
It’s a true accompaniment to the sound contained within its two glued walls. It shows off an attention to detail fit for waning waxheads who flip the bird towards hipster cachet and aren’t in this for big-boy baseball cards. It’s the kind of twelve-inch cardboard masterpiece that finds its way into your palms after you plop down in your beanbag chair. It’s the kind of album you spin while staring holes through the thing. In fact, here, why don’t you do exactly that:
Enthralling, no? You’re not the only one who feels that way. Erik Highter of Lightbulbhead is back again to give this album a glowing recommendation. He’s got something to say, you’re going to love this record today:
I’ve been a fan of Shooting Guns since my friend Adrien first turned me on to them in 2011. He knows my tastes very well, and said their debut album, Born to Deal in Magic: 1952-1976, was right up my alley. He couldn’t have been more right. I described that record as an instrumental mix of Loop – one Stooge + more Hawkwind + a dash of The Obsessed. By the end of the year it had made my list of 20 favorites.
Fast forward to 2013 and they’ve got a new album to thrust upon the world, Brotherhood of the Ram. They unleashed first side highlight “Motherfuckers Never Learn” upon the world back in June, and it was a rocket soaring over the metal melee of bone crushing releases then hitting the streets. I remember fondly the days when metal was allowed to groove (and not be Groove Metal, which never really did), and so, apparently do Shooting Guns. This motorik chugger of a tune galloped across the summer like Baron Karza in centaur form, subjugating lesser tunes and throwing them in the Body Banks.
The several month wait to hear the rest of the record was excruciating but ultimately worth it. Part of me feared a record full of “Motherfuckers.” How would I survive that sort of relentless propulsive drive for 40-odd minutes? I’m not Lemmy, damn it! But Brotherhood of the Ram is a varied and multifaceted record. Their unique blend of space rock, doom, krautrock and psychedelia is surprisingly nimble, swinging effortlessly from one focus to another. It is that freedom of movement that defines them; they are equally adept at racing forward and at buzzing around each other in organized chaos like bees in a hive.
Want slow and heavy – yet still limber and moving – doom, like grapplers warily measuring each other up before the first clench? Opener “Real Horse Footage” has you covered. Do you love the instrumental sections of Deep Purple‘s “Space Truckin'” on Live In Japan? Then “Predator II” might hit a sweet spot. Ever wondered what Crazy Horse might sound like playing low-altitude space rock? Give “Go Blind” a spin. In some alternate world, Faces were acid heads not raging drunkards, and their “Flying” inspired the title track to this album. Closer “No Fans” brings to mind the ethereal noise of the late and much lamented The Angelic Process. How many other bands cover that range in a career, let alone an album? Yet at the same time it is entirely coherent as a single piece of art.
That this chaos of sounds and influences is so organized and crystal clear is a tribute to Chad Mason’s recording, the bands mix, and John McBain’s mastering work. The clarity of this record allows a great amount of subtlety of playing to be heard. Reed’s keyboard work is only occasionally center stage, but even when it is bubbling under in washes or in comping-wonder it can be discerned with a careful ear. The mix keeps Laramee and Doepker’s guitar lines distinct and separated, except when their unison playing powers a riff to the front of your skull. And, most importantly to a rhythm hound like myself, Loos on bass and Ginther on drums are never pushed down into the murk, nor compressed into the same dynamic range. But don’t think they sacrificed power for clarity; this record veritably thunders out of the speakers.
Shooting Guns stepped up their game in every way when they wrote and recorded Brotherhood of the Ram. It only remains for you to step up and join the brotherhood.
Of course, we had to know more. We got in touch with Shooting Guns‘ rhythm section, drummer Jim Ginther and bassist Jay Loos. We asked five questions, they gave us five answers.
To my ears, this record feels more like a singular piece than Born To Deal In Magic: 1952-1976, which in comparison feels more like a collection of songs. Has the process of writing and recording changed between the two albums? Was the intent to make an old fashioned long player with discrete sides that were complete statements?
Jim: We still write in the same way where someone brings a riff to the group and we all just mess with it, trying as many permutations as we can until we find something that feels right. However, we approached the recording process very differently this time around. We recorded Born To Deal In Magic: 1952-1976 at Steve Reed’s home studio direct to his PC and rented what we needed as we went along. With Brotherhood of the Ram, we recorded live off the floor with Chad Mason (at Sinewave Studio in Delisle, SK) direct to analog tape. We got all of the drums and guitars in three sessions and then Chris and Steve added their parts to bring everything together. As for an overall continuity in the sound, I guess it just sort of happened that way rather than a premeditated writing process. In fact, some of the songs on this record were based on our earliest jams. “Go Blind” was a riff that we started jamming back in 2009 but it never felt right so we left it on the shelf for a few years and then tried again. Luckily enough it seemed to click this time around. The last couple minutes of “No Fans” is straight from an old jam tape (also 2009) back when I was renting V-drums for the summer. We thought it was funny how over-the-top it sounds but in the context of the full song, it seems to work in a weird way.
Jay: If you are saying that we made this album as a double sided concept album I guess that would be up to you. Our intentions were basically to get these tracks out and in the best possible sequence. The songs stand on their own as it is, I would say, but interpret as you will. Our creation of the songs were the same techniques as the past, just the challenge of getting good takes in the studio with minimal hassle, which Chad does provide in spades. I’m sure that in itself makes the whole recording a contained session rather than many small sessions to get good takes. A more consistent recording process. Shooting Guns is the concept and but the songs our expressions of this concept. Brotherhood of the Ram is an expression of times between albums and songs we forged along the way.
Jim: We like to make the show sound as strong as we can and since we don’t have a singer, we all focus on hitting the riff hard enough to still keep engaged with the audience. There’s something about Steve’s playing over a good PA system where those gut-rumbling low notes shake the room and it makes you feel intoxicated. We’ve been told that our live show makes you feel high even if you show up dead sober. Having rarely been sober myself during one of our shows, I can’t speak to that personally. As for the relationship between the recordings and shows, I don’t think you can have one without the other. We practice at least twice a week (whether or not we have a show coming up) and record every jam with the hope that the live energy will also come across in the recordings.
Jay: There is no doubt that audience contact and playing, basically, straight up four-on-the-floor, one-off sessions of our songs to them is intense and a lot different than in a two room studio. It can be hard to maintain the same energy as in a live show during studio time so we yell at each other between takes to up the stakes. Going for it is really what a S.G.show is all about and letting the crowd get into it with us rather than some artists who will use a live setting merely as a showcase for their songs. Studio time is fun and rewarding as so far as to get all our creative juices out and on the table and spending the time to refine the product rather than perfecting a live format which is what we do when we practice.
Geography, climate and culture can have a strong effect on art and music. How has Saskatoon shaped the music you make?
Jim: Saskatoon has had a huge impact on every aspect of the band. While the summers are phenomenal, we’re blanketed in snow from mid-October through April and the temp ranges from -15 to -45 during the worst of it. There’s a bit of a “we’re all in this together” vibe and since it’s bitterly cold outside, it’s the perfect time to go back into the lab and start working on new material. The music scene here is very active, especially for its size (Saskatoon is only 250,000 people and is the biggest city in Saskatchewan), but the only musicians that move here are from smaller cities/towns in the province. This creates a very supportive and collaborative scene where there is very little competition and a lot of genre cross-pollination. We have some absolutely fantastic venues here and it’s not uncommon for local shows to sell out more than touring bands.
Jay: Totally agree with Jim but I must say that the winters simply help to keep the focus together as there is little to do sometimes other than to create and let the fingers do the talking. The other months do give more as so far as the richness of touring in the summer and the vibe that Saskatoon can give in those warmer months. Even though I’ve been asked this before I still believe that most of our influences come from researching and enjoying a wide variety or musics and art. This would be the case in any area of the world regardless of weather and geography. I’d still listen to Saint Vitus or Bolt Throwerin IBIZA if I was partying there.
Does it ever bother you that its rare a review can go by without the mention of intoxicating substances? I expand my mind as much as the next guy, but is it irksome to read pieces containing fun and new uses for “lysergic”?
Jim: It doesn’t bother me at all and whether or not someone is messed up while listening to our tunes or associates us with being intoxicated, especially since it still helps paint a picture of what we sound like. A lot of that stuff is tongue in cheek anyway so I find it more amusing than a bad thing. And hey, if it takes a few tabs to get someone to like our stuff, then who are we to stop them!
Jay: There could be many metaphors to describe our music dependent on a certain individual’s point of view but it certainly does not bother me. Take for instance some of our song titles and you may find it hard to identify them with the song material itself. Our experiences and thoughts could be vastly different than the average listener or completely in line with one as well. Could it be that our titles and albums cause mixed reactions with the listener? I suppose. If one can only identify with our sound by referencing or using mind altering substances, so be it. The point being is that having an open dialog through not introducing lyrics gives the audience a fresh and open look into what we do and can make their own judgement regardless of their possible impaired judgement.
With mostly or totally instrumental music, is it important for songs to have “stories,” even if the story is only known to the band members? Do you ever write in this wordless narrative fashion? Are there any particular sections on the new album that can be tied to a certain experience? Have you guys used any naughty rhymes as a sort of riff mnemonic?
Jim: If there is one thing that is certain about any songs we’ve written thus far, it’s that they are completely devoid of any narrative (at least as far as I can tell). Sometimes we’ll use imagery to describe the type of feel we’re going for (I think the idea for “Motherfuckers Never Learn” was something along the lines of diesel trains launching over a buffalo jump) but as for any message or theme, we leave that all up to the imagination. To tie into your last question, this is where the oft-referenced drugs might help.
Jay: I suppose there is a certain objective that we try to attain if there is a certain sonic environment we want to achieve. This could be the case of outside influence or simply the dog next door pissing on your shoes to cause a feeling to recreate. Mostly there is no story narrative but a sonic hypnosis or edge we are trying to capture such as “No Fans.” If a song comes out such that it [has] a story narrative feel to it or concept it is just usually from good songwriting rather than conceptual writing. We generally just want to rock as hard as possible for ourselves and the audience and putting songs together that have all the correct pieces in the right places. Good songwriting should convey a feeling good or sour and from all reports that have come in. We will continue this path to the center of the cosmos with sonic bombardment as our fuel.
Brotherhood of the Ram will be released in the U.S. through Easy Rider Records on October 15th. Vinyl preorders begin on October 5th.
Home page: http://shootingguns.ca/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/shootinggunsband
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/shootingguns
Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/shootingguns
Bandcamp: http://shootingguns.bandcamp.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shootingguns
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/shootinggunsband
Originally posted on Trample the Week. 5Q5A will begin making appearances over this way when the groups are Shooting Guns good.
