Black Tar Prophecies 1 2 & 3

Grails | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 22, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Important Records
• ASIN: B000GEIRO6
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #134,881 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super gloomy rhythmscapes, jazzy piano, totally dubbed out drums, everything bathed in smoky atmospheric swirl, September 4, 2006

By 

Aquarius Records (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Tar Prophecies 1 2 & 3 (Audio CD)

It maybe took a little while, but folks around here finally started digging the Grails, A LOT. After their last record, their second release on Neurot, the band went through some personnel shifts, which often trigger the end of a band, but in this case, pushed the band in new directions and resulted in some of their best music to date. That Neurot record was cool, but at the time I had sort of reached my post rock, quiet-loud-quiet saturation point. It wasn't that the Grails weren't a great band, it was because I had raised my bar on moody epic post rock. It was no longer enough to just drift along post-rockily before exploding into epic metallic bombast and drifting back again. As pleasant as that is to listen to, there was SO MUCH of that going around, I just needed something more. Soon after the band released an ep of international psych covers and that was the beginning of a glorious new direction. I knew whatever was gonna come next would be a killer, and thankfully, The Black Tar Prophecies, are indeed just that.

The whole three volumes thing was a bit confusing, and still is. Regardless, this is some, dark and amazing, absolutely beautiful music. With the Black Tar Prophecies, the Grails finally shrugged off their influences and forged their own sound, never hesitating to experiment, explore, or f-ck around with songs and sound. These musical 'Prophecies' just might just be the weirdest, most subtle, least rock set of songs they've ever produced. I was definitely always a fan, but when I heard that psych covers ep, on which they covered psychedelic songs from around the world, including faves Flower Travellin Band, well, I was suddenly WAY more than a fan. They had me at Flower Travellin Band.

Anyway, Black Tar Prophecies takes their obsession with psych rock, and their deft mastery of all things post rock, and turns them inward, into a darker, doomier, moodier place. And I love it. Super gloomy rhythmscapes, jazzy piano, totally dubbed out drums, everything bathed in smoky atmospheric swirl. Reminds me a little of Bohren & Der Club Of Gore at times. Songs that wander down dark alleys, streetlights barely illuminating the murky streets, sonic ghost towns, haunting cinematic postrockscapes, like a more rock DJ Shadow, all low slung bass and shuffling rhythms, very smoky and dreamlike. Elsewhere, dreamy psychedelic guitarscapes, strummed acoustic guitars, beneath fuzzed out moody psych leads, really seventies sounding, like a more abstract post rock Hendrix / Santana thing. But the doom inclined among you will find much to love too, here and there, thick slabs of glacial sound that will have dronedirgedoom nerds frothing at the mouth, as if to prove they can throw down with the big boys (Boris, Corrupted, Isis, Pelican, Moss, etc...) the band unleash massive downtuned dirges, thick washes of slow sludge guitars woven into tarpit riffs of gargantuan proportion, distortion so blown out it crumbles like dirt clods stuffed in your ears, the recording strangely lo-fi, giving the proceedings a dreary droney, Hawkwind meets Gore sort of dirgedoom vibe. Epic and amazing.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Enjoyable, October 29, 2007

By 

Zachary J. Dachtler "LordDachtler" (Wooster,OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black Tar Prophecies 1 2 & 3 (Audio CD)

This was my first Grails album, and having never heard the others I can reccommend it as a good place to start. If you are new to the Grails sound then this will be rather difficult to understand, for their music really defies any labels. It is not merely world (most generic title ever) or rock or lounge or strange and nebulous sounds which are no genre, but rather a combination of all.

Above all I would say that the Grails is good chillin' music. If you like to partake in a nice relaxing herb. ***. Than this is some excellent music to sit and smoke to. There are many layers to explore while your mind is in a liberated state. And it is accessible enough that you do not have to be stoned or trippin' to appreciate it, although In my opinion, I think that those are the conditions in which this music truly shines.

Its probably not like what you will have heard before, and make no mistake this is not something that everyone will like. However I think that those of you who will like this type of music know who you are, and that in the opinion of this humble reviewer you should definately look into the mysterious music which is the Grails. The only music I can think that at times can have a similar feel would be, at times Pink Floyd, Medeski Martin and Wood, Tortoise, and Rabih Abu Khali. However make no mistake The Grails are original and Black Tar Prophecies does not pretend.

My favorite songs on the album are: Smokey Room, Erosion Blues (#), Stray Dog. However the whole album is superb.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I second this excellent review, February 23, 2007

By 

Luke A. Miller (AUSTIN TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black Tar Prophecies 1 2 & 3 (Audio CD)

Its got this improv feel that is absolutely addicting. I love this album-- feels like its directly out of a David Lynch film at times.