Social Impressionism
- T-Bohm
- Aug 31, 2020
- 3 min read
The evolution of life is a vast chasm of influence in the progression of organisms. The revolving Earth influences by providing the chasm. The billions of species that inhabit Earth share and provide to the world. Like the brackets that link the species of life together, music is a creation that is influenced by the evolution of the Homo sapiens. People change with the thoughts of their minds and with the contact of their bodies. Humans share their thoughts and provide their creations. Somewhere on the celestial body of Earth, there is a particular band of humans that create music to share with the world. Good Doom is this band of humans and the psychic vibrations they create has given Earth the album, Spider Temple Valley.
Upon my first observation of Spider Temple Valley, I see the artwork produced by Natty Boon. The artwork illustrates of what appears to be an early Earth, a vast world of bacteria, protists and non-vascular plants. I think of the Proterozoic era when I look at the image. An unforgiving world that would be toxic for aerobic species because of the high concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A world of slime without soil and the cellular life that dominate the Earth face the greatest challenge of evolution, sustaining life.
When listening to the album, I became relaxed. The album is heavily influenced by the French Impressionist era. The whole movement is centered around relaxing. The art created around that period emphasized modest tones and visuals that weren't extremely dramatic. The music was soft and easy to listen. It was a proper transition from an explosive revolution in western music. Romanticism had come to an end. Romanticism was dramatic with sharp tones that portrayed the artist's point of view. People were tired of the ultra-stimulating sounds of Beethoven and Chopin. French Impressionism allowed the listener to be able to have their own thoughts.
The album begins with "Loading" and that is exactly what the song sounds like; a crew of explorers loading equipment on a ship that are about to embark on a grand journey through time and space. The song seamlessly transitions into "Pots and Bowls". Euphoria is what I felt when I listened to "Pots and Bowls" for the first time. The euphoria was like reaching the peak of a mountain and looking out into the horizon. Good Doom then threads the needle into "Multi Level Lounge." Like the name implies, the song has a relaxing tone. The shaker sets a modest tempo and its easy to slip away into a deep slumber that the multi level lounge provides on this grand expedition. Next up is "Comet Thrills the Sky", a piece that captures the mesmerizing beauty of suspended tranquility. With the help of some flute, the piece encompasses the beauty of a comet that is always floating in space like a distant memory in the mind. The next song, "TV jr.", picks up the pace. I imagine "TV jr." to be about the evolution of smartphones in the never ending revolution of technology. Yet another creation influenced by the evolution of humans! There is also a music video featuring an impressive animation for "TV jr." as well. Boon creates the world pictured on the cover of the album, but the animation follows the story of what appears to be a single cellular organism roaming the early ecosystem of Earth.
Tony Schurbon describes his music as "music that a socialist would create." With the influence of French impressionism and the ideals of socialism, Good Doom creates a social impressionist soundscape that pleases the ears and gives space for the mind. My mind was given plenty of space to think freely with the soft tones that are provided in Spider Temple Valley. Good Doom is a band that continues to evolve in ways that many would not have predicted. It seems their "chill" alleles have been naturally selected and they continue to produce music that is always easy to listen to. Spider Temple Valley's chillness is so doubled down, it will literally slow your heart rate to an appropriate speed that we very much need in these times.
Click the link below to listen to
Credit to Michael Voller for the phrase "Doubled Down."
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