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===Lyrics and themes===
===Lyrics and themes===
There are strong political motifs in the band's music. The instrumental "13 Angels Standing Guard 'round the Side of Your Bed" is apparently directed toward [[black bloc]] [[Anarchism|anarchists]], according to [[liner notes]]. The song "The Triumph of Our Tired Eyes" could be interpreted as lamenting the present state of the world while espousing strong hope for the future. It also references the old anarchist song, "[[To The Barricades]]," sung by anarchists during the [[Spanish Revolution]]. The band's most recent album, ''Horses in the Sky'', contains ostensibly political tracks, including "Ring Them Bells (Freedom Has Come and Gone)", and "God Bless Our Dead Marines". However, it is worth noting that when asked about the political elements of A Silver Mt. Zion's songs after a concert in [[Nottingham]], [[England]] in December 2004, Efrim Menuck said that the band are not trying to be 'political' with their songs, but write songs about the sorts of things they talk about with their friends.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
There are strong political motifs in the band's music. The instrumental "13 Angels Standing Guard 'round the Side of Your Bed" is apparently directed toward [[black bloc]] [[Anarchism|anarchists]], according to [[liner notes]]. The song "The Triumph of Our Tired Eyes" could be interpreted as lamenting the present state of the world while espousing strong hope for the future. It also references the old anarchist song, "[[To The Barricades]]," sung by anarchists during the [[Spanish Revolution]]. The band's album ''Horses in the Sky'', contains ostensibly political tracks, including "Ring Them Bells (Freedom Has Come and Gone)", and "God Bless Our Dead Marines". However, it is worth noting that when asked about the political elements of A Silver Mt. Zion's songs after a concert in [[Nottingham]], [[England]] in December 2004, Efrim Menuck said that the band are not trying to be 'political' with their songs, but write songs about the sorts of things they talk about with their friends.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}


==Members==
==Members==

Revision as of 18:23, 16 March 2008

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band (also known as A Silver Mt. Zion and The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band with Choir are a Canadian post-rock band originating from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They use a number of different variations of the name on different releases including A Silver Mt. Zion, and Thee Silver Mountain Reveries. Formed in 1999, the band currently[when?] comprises seven members, of which three are also involved with Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Since inception, the group has undergone numerous personnel changes.

The band have released four studio albums and one EP, publishing them through the influential record label Constellation. Their debut album He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms… was released in 1999 and—with the exception of two tracks—is a purely instrumental record. As other records were created, their sound and membership progressively changed from a sequestered trio to a boisterous septet. By the release of Horses in the Sky, the group became overwhelmingly vocal in its style, sometimes having all seven members sing on tracks.

The group is releasing a new album entitled 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons in March 2008. The album, which consists of four tracks, is wholly composed of songs previously debuted at live performances. Several members of the band are also working on a live album tentatively titled Fuck You Drakulas. A mid-summer 2007 release was planned but did not materialize as the band are still working on it "when time permits."[1]

History

Origins (1999 – 2000)

Efrim Menuck playing for Godspeed You! Black Emperor in November 2000.

According to an interview with VPRO Radio in the Netherlands, Silver Mt. Zion originally began as a project in which Efrim Menuck hoped to learn how to score music.[2] Already a guitarist in the Montreal-based musical collective Godspeed You! Black Emperor, he explained that he hoped to communicate better with his fellow musicians by getting familiar with music theory. This idea was soon abandoned as Menuck realized that he preferred not knowing precisely what he was doing when writing, opting to "fumble" instead.

The Silver Mt. Zion project, however, continued. Menuck's decision to record an album was partly inspired by the death of his dog Wanda, who died while he was on tour with Godspeed You! Black Emperor.[3] It also served as an outlet, allowing him to experiment with ideas and sounds he did not feel that he could effectively create through Godspeed You! Black Emperor's collective, consensus format.[2] Seeking help in the albums creation, Menuck enlisted violinist Sophie Trudeau and bassist Thierry Amar, two musicians also involved with Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

The band made their live debut on March 6, 1999 at Musique fragile, a performance venue organized by the record label Constellation. They released their debut album, He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms…, a little over a year later on March 27, 2000.

With the exception of the albums All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling in 1994 and F♯A♯∞ in 1997,Template:Fn Godspeed You! Black Emperor albums never featured vocals. Their substitute was instead provided through recorded audio samples produced by Sophie Trudeau. Similarly-themed samples also appear on Silver Mt. Zion's debut album, wherein Menuck sings on two tracks ("Movie (Never Made)." and "Blown-out Joy from Heaven's Mercied Hole"). Menuck confessed that he was uncomfortable with this at first, feeling "foolish" and uncomfortable with the role of the singer in music generally.[2] At the time at least, he did not want to be the focus of the band's music but rather wished to use vocals as a stylistic tool.

Expanding membership (2000 – 2004)

Before the release of their second album, the band recruited three more musicians, expanding the group to a sextet. The new members were cellist Beckie Foon, guitarist Ian Ilavsky, and violinist Jessica Moss. The name of the band was changed to reflect the larger membership; according to the liner notes of the second album Born into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward., they were officially called The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band.

The music was also growing and becoming more varied. While some tracks on Born into Trouble… reflect the building but repetitive and instrumental nature of their first album and even Godspeed You! Black Emperor, some tracks here are more song-like in structure and the vocals definitely have a stronger presence. On "Take These Hands and Throw Them in the River" for example, the vocal parts complete with a building wall of noise dynamic and while "Could've Moved Mountains" features double-tracked vocals that the listener has to strain to hear, the effect is to make the lyrics a focal point of the song.

In retrospect, this period seems to mark a transition from Silver Mt Zion as experiment and spin-off from Godspeed You! Black Emperor to a band with its own recognisable sound. Their first extensive tour took place in early 2001 throughout Europe.

The next Silver Mt Zion album saw no change in the core line-up but the name of the band was slightly expanded again to accommodate the change in sound and the number of people involved in its creation. Now called The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band with Choir, "This Is Our Punk-Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing, was released in 2003, featured four tracks each lasting over ten minutes in length and had a strong vocal presence as well as bigger emphasis on drums in two of the tracks. In fact, the liner notes suggest that the 'rusted satellites' of the album title refer to the choir pulled together to sing on the album. Thee Rusted Satellite Choir features twenty-four names, though four of these might be members of Silver Mt Zion (only Efrim and Sophie's names are missing from the list).

After a break due to Godspeed You! Black Emperor activities, the band set out on its second tour in 2004. Starting with a brief Canadian tour at end of January, they then headed out for another long string of European dates from mid-February through the end of March. They headed across the Atlantic again in December for a tour of the UK, following their performance at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival.

Horses in the Sky (2005 – present)

The line-up was officially expanded again with the arrival of Scott Levine Gilmore, mandolinist, guitarist and now the band's full-time drummer. The choir dropped, the band now simply added an extra 'e' to the first word of their full title becoming Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band for the release of their fourth full-length record. Horses in the Sky has six tracks, none of which are instrumental.

The band had their first performance in the United States (in Brooklyn, New York City) on August 13, 2005 as the culmination of a short tour of eastern Canada. Plans for a longer tour were cut short after Sophie Trudeau, one of two violinists for the band, broke her collarbone.

In 2006 the band headed to Europe at the end of April and they played shows up until the start of June. A tour of Canada and the United States (A Silver Mt. Zion's first) began in late July and continued until the end of August. The tour debuted two new tracks, "BlindBlindBlind" , "1,000,000 Died to Make This Sound". In a follow-up 2007 tour of Europe, they premiered two new songs, "Engine Broke" and "13 Blues for Thirteen Moons", the latter of which will be the title of their upcoming album. They start 2008 with a return to Europe, including a 2 night run at London's Scala in April.

Symbolism

Names

The name A Silver Mt. Zion would seem to refer to Temple Mount, the highest point in Jerusalem. However, Efrim later noted in an interview with David Garland, host of Spinning on Air from WNYC radio, that the name hailed from a misheard song lyric.[4] Efrim himself is Jewish, and motifs relating to Judaism are occasionally present in the band's music (he described the band's recording of their first album as a "Jewish experience.")[2] He is a diasporist, promoting a non-territorial form of Jewish identity that is conducive to pluralism and intercultural interaction.[citation needed]

Lyrics and themes

There are strong political motifs in the band's music. The instrumental "13 Angels Standing Guard 'round the Side of Your Bed" is apparently directed toward black bloc anarchists, according to liner notes. The song "The Triumph of Our Tired Eyes" could be interpreted as lamenting the present state of the world while espousing strong hope for the future. It also references the old anarchist song, "To The Barricades," sung by anarchists during the Spanish Revolution. The band's album Horses in the Sky, contains ostensibly political tracks, including "Ring Them Bells (Freedom Has Come and Gone)", and "God Bless Our Dead Marines". However, it is worth noting that when asked about the political elements of A Silver Mt. Zion's songs after a concert in Nottingham, England in December 2004, Efrim Menuck said that the band are not trying to be 'political' with their songs, but write songs about the sorts of things they talk about with their friends.[citation needed]

Members

The introduction of the song "Tho You Are Gone I Still Often Walk With You" from the album Born into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward was recently featured in the trailer for the fourth season of the television show Lost.[5]

"Ring Them Bells (Freedom Has Come and Gone)" from the album Horses in the Sky plays over the ending credits of Demonlover.

Discography

LPs

EPs

Compilations

See also

Notes

Template:FnbThe limited-release album All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling, according to Constellation Records website, contains the first known instance of Menuck's vocal and lyrical abilities. In the album F♯A♯∞ on the song "East Hastings", very quiet singing can be heard starting 8:20 and ending at 8:50.

References

  1. ^ Constellation Records. "Silver Mt. Zion biography" (html). Bands index. Constellation Records. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
  2. ^ a b c d A Silver Mt. Zion (2001). "A Silver Mt. Zion at VPRO Studio (2001-01-26)". Live Music Archive. Internet Archive. Retrieved 2006-12-12.
  3. ^ Constellation Records. "He Has Left Us Alone [...] description" (html). Bands index. Constellation Records. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
  4. ^ A Silver Mt. Zion and David Garland (2005). "Spinning on Air: The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band (2005-11-06)". Spinning on Air. WNYC Radio. Retrieved 2006-12-12.
  5. ^ VIDEO: Lost - Season 4 TV Spot #2
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