This is going to be a hard post to write. There is a song on this split that I feel more strongly about than any other peice of music I have heard in my life. EVER.
This split from Sun City Girl's Alvarius B (Alan Bishop) and greatest band ever Cerberus Shoal has two different takes on three songs. Two of the songs are penned by Alan Bishop, and one of them by Cerberus Shoal. Alan's three songs open the split, and Cerberus shoal finish it off. Cerberus Shoal in fact finish the album off with the greatest song I have ever heard in my life, 'Ding'.
I am going to do the best job I can in articulating just how amazing this song is. Here we go..
Ok 'Ding' is a fucking monsterous 18 minutes long. Everytime I listen to it I cannot believe it has been 18 minutes, it is the shortest 18 minutes of my life. It does not allow you to zone out for a second, the song holds your complete attention for the entire time. It opens with the sound of a type-writer and a really simple, straightforward guitar melody. Colleen Kinsella (Big Blood, Fire on Fire and of course Cerberus Shoal) sings the first 6 minutes of the song on her own, with just the guitar melody, the tapping of the type-writer (which rises and falls with the vocal melody) and intermittent sound clips of children laughing. It is fucking powerful, and I would say the best vocal performance I have ever heard. I really love how the guitar is recorded really cleanly and her voice sounds so distant. and of course the vocal melody goddamn perfect.
After about 6 minutes Kinsella is joined by her bandmates and an array of different instruments (xylaphones, banjo etc.) This next 6 minute segent of the song has probably the best lyrics of the entire thing (the lyrics thoughout the whole song are completely genius). The lyrics sort of remind me of Jeff Mangum's I suppose. In fact I think 'Ding' was orginally a poem written by one of the band members, but I can't remember which one (THE BLOG WITH ALL THE FACTS!) Anyway this is a line from the song which I really like and can remember off the top of my head, "Focus on your diaphragm, or hold your nose in effigy to mama". It is full of these beautiful poetic lines.
In the final six minutes more instruments are brought in, most obviously a big, deep pounding bass drum which makes this song nearly impossible to listen to with the shitty speakers in my car. Still I say turn it loud.
Oh yeah, there are also five other songs. Mr Bishop's take on 'Ding' is still fucking awesome. His version is somewhat demented and he really emphasises the lyrics. but still it does not have the magic of Cerberus Shoal's version. Alan Bishop's two other songs are also really great. But putting anything next to the monster that is Cerberus Shoal's 'Ding' is completely unfair. It is the greatest 18 minutes of music you will ever hear in your life.
I really hope I have done a somewhat decent job of describing this song because it really does mean a great deal to me. Seriously, anyone who reads this, do yourself a huge favour and LISTEN TO IT!
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