Silica Gel - Wooden Shoe
Describing Silica Gel's Wooden Shoe is like trying two place to magnets together. Words can get close but the sounds seem to move away just when a connection is near. In reading the description on bandcamp, notes of medieval adaptations and folk elements tend to lead thoughts towards curated sonic resonance. A 60's revival of traditional sounds from the European continent. Thinking in this descriptive direction did not prepare for how vibrantly modern the sounds would be. Wooden Shoe swings words and sounds like a veteran batter at the plate. This composition hits with the deep resonance of a ball squarely struck. Pretty much a grand slam with each base being some different genre or component of sound, Silica Gel cleans the plates.
Straight away, the cover or take on the Door's Alabama Song is absolutely brilliant. But this is only a highlight of a endless stream of creatively composed fluid selections. The a cappella start to "In the Form Of" transitions to noise then drone.... Followed by "Frogs", a beat driven vocal pipes display with dreamlike messages in ethereal disarray. Silica Gel transitions with pendulum motion, each track a sweeping smooth swing in another direction. For example, "Fog" to "Steamboat Joe", the most angelic and traditional high choir piece to a jangle of strings and playful story telling ballad. Then to the native American Indian flute filled dreamer "Healing in Progress" with wisdom filled spoken word of virtuous wit and depth. The last track and the longest, "Coming Age" is the most melodic and connective to its medieval foundations. Still, Silica Gel is ready to pounce, easily turning a page to blurred futuristic sound waves.
Silica Gel has very skilled musicians within. Laura Thomas, Lauren Jones, Jasper Lee, Joel Nelson and Gary Wheat. The artwork is also by band member Jasper Lee at Sweet Wreath. This brings up the collaboration of two well established labels, Sweet Wreath from Irondale, Alabama and Noumenal Loom out of Providence, Rhode Island. Each label offering a different physical version of Wooden Shoe. Noumenal Loom has the cassette edition and Sweet Wreath showcases the very limited transparent clear vinyl run. Seventy and fifty copies respectively with both currently available. The edition used for description at Lost in a Sea of Sound is a compact disc version but do not see this available for purchase.
Wooden Shoe is a composition to get so pleasurably lost in. Beautiful and magical, excellent.
Links
Noumenal Loom site and bandcamp
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