It’s easy to assume that the members of Sunn O))) were conjured out of an ambiguous black depth as opposed to born like (most of) the rest of us, but there’s good evidence to suggest that Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson are actually human. In addition to their human names, they both eat human food through their normal human mouths…They even rehearse like most human bands do, as evidenced by a brand new release sponsored by the Southern Lord and Ideologic Organ imprints, entitled Downtown LA Rehearsal/Rifftape March 1998.
It’s available now in digital and limited edition vinyl formats, and the release is concurrent with Anderson’s Southern Lord label celebrating its 20 year anniversary of dedication to ominous midnight!
The album consists of a recording of one of the earliest Sunn O))) rehearsals, which took place several years before they earned their dark and humming reputation — in the band’s “early practice space at Downtown Rehearsal” in Los Angeles — and that the source of this new release is “C60 cassette tape recorded on a boombox.” Brad Boatright did the mastering off the cassette.
But TBH, even before they grew up to be such such famous/infamous non-humans, you can still tell it’s the work Sunn O)))! Summon your otherworldly copy here and have a listen below:
Downtown LA Rehearsal/Rifftape March 1998 vinyl tracklisting:
Side A
01. Room 206 pt.1
02. Room 206 pt.2
03. B-Witch
Side B
01. Room 206 pt.3
02. The Grimm Robe / Black Wedding
03. Mustaine / Thorns
04. M & D I.L.F.
05. The DJs
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