13 & God

13 & God - Live in Japan (2008) on Art Union Recordings

1. Low Heaven
2. Men of Station
3. Tin Strong
4. Soft Atlas
5. Perfect Speed
6. Ghostwork
7. If
8. Superman on Ice
9. Out in the Open

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?oqmjmir5qm3

I’m usually not one for live albums. All the bleed from the drum and vocal mics make things sound pretty crummy, and the performances are often inferior to their respective studio takes. Things are a bit different with 13 & God. Collaborative albums are often created with little intent to reproduce live, so it’s pretty interesting to hear 13 & God pull it off. A lot is sampled, like strings or Yoni Wolf, but Jel’s MPCing has far more “umph” live than it does on record. Doseone is impeccable, more or less making the album. To be blunt, Markus Archer’s vocals are pretty bad, which is saying a lot considering they’re already an “acquired taste,” and his guitar playing isn’t much better. Dose however picks up the slack & then some, letting loose on the set closer “Superman on Ice.” The encore, “Out in the Open,” is a Themselves song that the Notwist remixed for Themselves’ remix album. It’s surprisingly close to the actual remix, which is even more surprisingly far better than the original song.

The recording is from a performance at Unit, in Tokyo, October 5th 2005. Subtle band mate Jordan Dalrymple fills in for Dax Pierson. The album is limited to 1000 copies, with 100 available via anticon. It comes enhanced with bonus videos from a festival performance in Germany. One of the songs is the unreleased “Sure as Dept. Dust Collectors” which I really hope will be on the next 13 & God album, which should see the light of day in 2010.