Top 5 Earth albums

Suck it, here I go

5.

Hibernaculum

Hibernaculum may just be a re-recording of old Earth music but it reinvents the tunes in some awesome ways. It takes music from all periods of Earth and throws the music all over the place. For instance, "Ouroboros is Broken" gets the reinvention treatment by becoming a dreamy, shimmery-chord trip rather than the fuzzy, Sabbathian-droner it previously was. Another great tune that pops up is "Miami Morning Coming Down", which moves from Dirty-west build up to a ride through the desert on acid. Basically, while these may not be new tunes, they are well-crafted remakes of originals which warrants it a place on the list of best Earth albums.

4.

Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light Part 1

Even though it just came out this year, this has got to be one of the best Earth releases ever. It takes a fairly different direction from Bees even though they do sound similar. Angels is different in that it has a grainier, darker sound, almost like a pitch-black forest night, and that it has the added addition of a cello to the instrumental foreplay. It takes influences from British folk like Pentangle and Fairport Convention and reinterprets them in the only way Earth can. Carlson and crew really managed to produce quite a solid piece of work here.

3.

Extra-Capsular Extraction

Technically this is Earth's first official release, even though they had a rare demo before. Extra-Capsular Extraction is one of Earth's best affairs, due to the uniqueness of the drones and musician that permeate it. Kurt Cobain, Dale Crover, and Joe Preston I believe all contribute some sort of sound to the record, whether it be background wails or sloppy drum machine pounding. The drones are unique in a sense in that they aren't just the fuzzy noise you hear; underneath all that noise are Sludged-up Sabbath Riffs and down-tuned chords. This is one of the best Earth records because it experiments with what was a fairly brand new style at the time and its just raw. Capsular creates a formula that would be refined later.

2.

The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull

By now you're probably wondering why I keep posting new Earth music, and so little of the old stuff right? Well that's because the new Earth material is the best Earth material ever. Bees only seeks to confirm that belief. Engines of Ruin holds the best piano groove ever recorded in drone music, and other songs have neat little things like organ and guitar solos. It's got some of the best jazz and Americana-influenced riffs in music and some of Earth's best songwriting. Almost every element of the record is perfect, from the pristine production to the general atmosphere of it all. Bees is definitely the second best Earth record and some of the strongest work of the past decade.

1.

Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version

Ah yes, finally down to glorious number one. While the choice is a predictable one, it is a wonderful predictable pick indeed. Earth 2 basically redefined the old Earth formula. Capsular invented it, Earth 2 stripped out all of the elements that didn't work and basically brought Earth down to a two-chord, one drumbeat band that fucked with your head as much as they fucked with your speakers. The three songs present are the best work Earth have ever done, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Overall Earth are definitely one of my favorite bands, and one of the most innovative. While pretty much all of their work is great, narrowing it down to 5 albums was a challenge. Hope you enjoyed reading it, and good day.

-Julien Loeper