Before we get to Zomes, we have to tell the story of Daniel Higgs. Most of you know it by now, of course. Obsessively poetic singer/lyricist for the legendary emo band Lungfish (and one-half of side-project The Pupils in the early 00s), upon going solo, trades in Dischord and punk rock (an ambiguous label already, considering the sometimes mind-numbing repetition that defined Lungfish’s latter years) for Holy Mountain and banjo. In a further shift to lo-fi folk and, of all things, gospel, Higgs turns to Thrill Jockey and releases dense tomes like last year’s Say God (TMT Review).
I’m sure Asa Osborne, former Lungfish guitarist, other half of The Pupils, and the man behind Zomes, hates the comparison to Higgs. Unfortunately, if the shoe fits…. In 2008, Osborne released his first album as Zomes on Holy Mountain, and since then has announced that Thrill Jockey will release his second full-length, Earth Grid, on April 12. (Anybody see a pattern?) Instead of turning to finger-picking and a mountain-man persona, Asa has turned to minimalist drone with tape loops and no shortage of effects pedals — which sort of makes sense if you think about it (or just listen to Feral Hymns). Before releasing Earth Grid, Zomes will hype it up with a tour alongside The Skull Defekts from Sweden. Let’s hear it for the death of emo!
Tourdates (all w/ The Skull Defekts):
03.27.11 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club
03.28.11 - Madison, WI - TBA
03.29.11 - Iowa City, IA - Mission Creek Festival
03.30.11 - St. Louis, MO - Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center
03.31.11 - Chicago, IL - The Hideout *
04.01.11 - Pittsburgh, PA - 31st Street Pub
04.02.11 - Buffalo, NY - Soundlab *
04.03.11 - Brooklyn, NY - Littlefield
04.04.11 - Boston, MA - Great Scott
04.05.11 - Providence, RI - Machine with Magnets
04.06.11 - Scranton, PA - Embassy Vinyl
04.07.11 - Philadelphia, PA - Danger Danger Gallery
04.08.11 - Baltimore, MD - Floristree
04.09.11 - Chapel Hill, NC - Nightlight
04.10.11 - Knoxville, TN - The Pilot Light
04.11.11 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl
04.12.11 - Asheville, NC - Harvest Records
* Mountains
• Zomes: http://www.thrilljockey.com/artists/index.html?id=11877
• Thrill Jockey: http://www.thrilljockey.com
