| Full Review | Ratings (212) |
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3.0 good | Alabaster Jones | June 3rd 16 | I really love ASMZ's older work, not just because of the truly beautiful compositions on display there, but because the vocals were used sparingly enough to be extremely effective when they did come around. That's the main problem with 13 Blues: while the songwriting is excellent even for their standards, the vocals have become a focal point of the music. This wouldn't be a bad thing except, well, Efrim Muneck just isn't a good singer. He was strange and endearing when he sang every fourth song or so, but now his off-tune, drunken croon winds up near everywhere on this record. In some cases, like the beginning of the closer, are actually quite nice because of his relatively subdued singing, but most of the time it's high in the mix, obnoxious, and isn't exactly helped by what he's saying ("The hangman's got a hard-on" is uttered without a hint of irony). All this said, closer "BlindBlindBlind" is one of the best overall songs the band has performed, but sort of adds insult to injury by reminding the listener what this album could have been.
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0.0 | Xaulb | July 18th 12 | What were they thinking? llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
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4.5 superb | Staker | February 12th 11 | Really powerful, awesome, music created by a band of people who really give 100% to every moment. Efrim's voice spans from soft to a confident wail and the backing vocals are fantastic. The guitar, violin and double bass create a very versatile sound. And if you're not captured by the emotional performances on Engine Broke Blues and BlindBlindBlind, you have no soul.
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4.0 excellent | YouAreMySilence | January 5th 09 | 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons is another pretentious album from the fifth full-length album by the Canadian post-rock super group, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, but while others use pretentiousness to compensate for something, TSMZMOATLLB use it to add a little sense of humor to their music. Not that this is a joke album but with Efrim Menuck's at times almost laughably bad vocals and with some of the strangest lyrics written one can't help but find humor.
But that being said this is an excellent album. The highlight 1,000,000 Died To Make This Sound is a unique, intellegent and heavy hitting song that shows that A Silver Mount Zion is more of a Progressive Folk Rock band stuck in a Post Rock body and the hard to swallow but gorgeuos BlindBlindBlind is a more light hearted tune led by Efrim Menuck's very rough, raw but almost "so bad it's good" voice.
All in all 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons is truly an acquired taste but once you give it time it is actually an uniquely gorgeous and rockin' record.
I would reccommend this to fans of Neutral Milk Hotel.
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3.5 great | ANM | November 18th 08 | I think some bands have a right to be super pretentious.
I think ASMZ does starts out serious, then ends up with some humor attached to it.
like "the hangman's got a hardon." there's no way that asmz actually expected someone to hear that and not laugh, even though the song was pretty serious itself.
same with thee silver mt zion memorial orchestra and tra-la-la band. A Silver Mount Zion is a serious, but good name. TSMZMMOATLLB is pretentious just to be funny.
i hope that made sense, that's what i think.
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3.5 great | Electric City | March 12th 08 | With their 5th album, A Silver Mount Zion hint that their new material will be rockier, more fun, and more bitchin than ever before. Though they don't consistently deliver on that front, 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons rocks pretty damn hard for a post rock record. Though Efrim Menuck's voice is getting worse as he thinks it's getting better, the record still serves up its fair share of moments such as the dynamite "1,000,000 Died To Make This Sound" and the gorgeous "Blindblindblind". Thanks to intricate orchestrations, choral arrangements, and some overall slick tunes, 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons might just be ASMZ's best release. Just maybe.
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4.0 excellent | Rick64 | June 25th 23 |
4.0 excellent | Samuel | November 26th 22 |
4.0 excellent | Zakusz | October 27th 22 |
4.0 excellent | Trundle | October 22nd 19 |
5.0 classic | Yeet | July 17th 18 |
4.5 superb | bSmith | January 13th 18 |
2.0 poor | qwe3 | September 18th 17 |
3.5 great | Emelic | September 17th 17 |
4.0 excellent | r68saga | September 9th 17 |
4.5 superb | Verlix | June 8th 16 |
4.5 superb | Yep321 | March 20th 16 |
4.0 excellent | Veldin | July 26th 14 |
3.5 great | Sithese | February 17th 14 |
3.5 great | Matski | January 21st 14 |
3.5 great | zundza | December 8th 13 |
4.0 excellent | unkle | November 12th 13 |
4.0 excellent | MF79 | July 25th 13 |
4.0 excellent | Ulshad | July 3rd 13 |
4.0 excellent | yep123 | May 15th 13 |
3.0 good | GB7 | September 20th 12 |
3.0 good | FLRTE | July 11th 12 |
4.0 excellent | Meuric | May 25th 12 |
4.5 superb | psite45 | December 15th 11 |
4.0 excellent | TheLodge | September 24th 11 |
4.0 excellent | cb123 | August 6th 11 |
4.0 excellent | kadrei | April 8th 11 |
3.0 good | Oddsy | March 25th 11 |
4.0 excellent | Lakes2 | February 13th 11 |
2.5 average | iemona | January 8th 11 |
4.0 excellent | hesperus | December 28th 10 |
4.0 excellent | ratowitz | November 28th 10 |
3.5 great | ti0n | September 7th 10 |
3.5 great | Smevin | April 24th 10 |
4.0 excellent | Torii | March 23rd 10 |
4.0 excellent | tuk | March 21st 10 |
4.0 excellent | MrCalum | November 22nd 09 |
3.0 good | alt | November 9th 09 |
4.5 superb | Taxt | September 6th 09 |
4.0 excellent | Lions | July 3rd 09 |
4.5 superb | samucka | January 11th 09 |
4.0 excellent | AlKal | December 21st 08 |
4.0 excellent | monorail | December 21st 08 |
2.5 average | McP3000 | December 6th 08 |
5.0 classic | gybe | November 17th 08 |
2.0 poor | natey | April 28th 08 |
4.0 excellent | Kage | April 8th 08 |
3.5 great | CC02 | April 2nd 08 |
3.5 great | Mikesn EMERITUS | March 17th 08 |
3.0 good | Altmer | March 15th 08 |
2.5 average | IsItLuck? EMERITUS | March 10th 08 |
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