Listen to Sunn O)))’s ‘Kannon’ now

Posted by on November 30, 2015

sunn0_kannon_650It’s been six years since drone collective Sunn O)))  released an album, 2009’s Monoliths and Dimensions. The wait ends this Friday, as Kannon is released, but by then, you’ll have had two chances to have heard it in advance. A limited edition white vinyl version of the album was released last Friday (27) for Record Store Day, but now Rolling Stone is streaming the album, along with an interview from the band’s Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson. What are you getting with the new album? Well, for the first time, every song has vocals on it, from longtime contributor Atilla Csihar (Mayhem). Other contributors Oren Ambarchi, Rex Ritter and Steve Moore also join for the three-song album. It’s still drony, and O’Malley says that if the tempos aren’t faster on the album, they might seem that way because “the mantra sticks more.” The big takeaway is that when the band records, they use their entire backline in the studio, as Anderson says:

I guess the thing to me that’s always interesting to Sunn O))) in comparison to most bands, when we record in the studio we do use our entire backline. [Laughs.] So, for Kannon, any given time, you’re talking about 12 4×12 cabs and 6 Sunn vintage model Ts and that’s just guitar. Usually, people, when they’re recording guitars, they’ll record on a very small amp or something that doesn’t bleed into other things. You’re not going for the massive amount of power, you’re going for the most clear sound or tone from the smaller amp. But not for Sunn O)))

Kannon will be released this Friday (4) on Southern Lord Records. It can be preordered here. You can listen to it here.

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