5
at Eulogy is organic drone folk alternative experimental trio Setting’s third release (their first being last year’s studio album Shone a Rainbow Light On) and second live drop, a follow-up to last winter’s at Black Mountain College Museum. This set was also recorded in Asheville, North Carolina, but at the tail end of a tour that ran along both the east and west coasts of the States. According to the press release, the band returned ‘sun-baked and wind-worn’ to Asheville, and the resulting performance feels very different to Black Mountain.
Whereas that recording begins at a very gentle pace and in a mellow mood, with I consisting of soft hand drums and distant, eerie beeps, Eulogy enters with a growling drone and Nathan Bowles’ slightly distorted and sliced tape samples before Jaime Fennelly’s strange, high synth sounds kick in. Joe Westerlund’s drums and percussion come in spaciously after a minute, giving the piece cohesion that the increasingly anxious-sounding drones try to upend. As the song develops, the rhythm from the drums becomes more apparent and the tempo quickens, with the sharply tapped cymbals adding a particularly pleasing higher range to the music.
Further on, after the industrial drones and twinkling into steadily ominous percussion of II, which the first song leads straight into (the whole record plays as a continuous piece of live music), III brings in a quick drum beat and weird, initially disparate banjo notes over a dense harmonium line. The banjo and drum patterns find each other around the halfway point and begin to work together, creating something of a refrain before a higher harmonium part adds to the music’s unnerving character. The drama unfolds over five minutes or so until distorted, heavily strummed banjo chords and increasingly sturdy drumming takes us into the final couple of minutes in a state of thrilled unease.
As IV proceeds seamlessly from III, the banjo playing shifts into a more clawhammer approach, which Joe adjusts to in his drumming, steadying his beat and digging into a groove, while Jaime conjures sweeping synthesised notes. But there is still a sense of quiet aggression here; by the four-minute mark, Nathan’s banjo playing alternates between sharply picked notes and a more sinister, metallic, hit chord, slicing through the mood.
The comparatively miniature V (04:45 in length) calms things down significantly, with a mid-range drone sitting above a shiny, spare percussion line. This percussion is particularly interesting as the song develops, with soft dongs sitting alongside taps and knocks akin to the sound of a workshop. With some of the textures of the previous music stripped back, this piece feels quiet in comparison, acting as something of a tonic before the intensity ups in final track VI. This one begins quietly, with spectral, barely there percussion alongside a continual drone piece. The drums begin after a minute, with Joe’s playing building muscle as the song develops, along with a high line reminiscent of bagpipes hovering behind. By the time this plus ten-minute piece of bewitching drama heading towards chaos in places plays out, you’ll be exhilarated and amazed at the amount of textures and moods this band fits into its music. It’s a hell of a journey; just approach with caution; you could find yourself getting lost in the Setting’s strange, mesmerising and quite beautiful soundscape.
at Eulogy (6 September 2024) DOSed
High-bias cassette tape with O-Card sleeve released by DOSed with art by Field of Grass. Limited to 333 copies. Digital album available exclusively on Bandcamp.
pre-order at Eulogy: https://setting.bandcamp.com/album/at-eulogy
Upcoming Tour Dates
Oct 26 – Saxapahaw, NC – Sleepy Fest @ Haw River Ballroom
Oct 30 – Asheville, NC – AyurPrana Listening Room
Oct 31 – Louisville, KY – B-Side
Nov 1 – Chicago, IL – Judson & Moore
Nov 2 – Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club
Nov 3 – Winona, WI – No Name Bar
Nov 4 – Minneapolis, MN – Icehouse
Nov 5 – Sturgeon Bay, WI – MUSE Sturgeon Bay
Nov 7 – Lexington, KY – Singletary Center for the Arts – Expansive Sounds Series
