The shifting moods and progressions of instrumental rock music often resemble ambient electronic compositions, expressing all the emotional highs and lows in movements rather than direct lyrical statements. San Francisco group Subarachnoid Space belongs to a cadre of psychedelic-minded musicians applying this theory to extended pieces of rock music, letting their guitars, effects, and rhythm section do all the talking. The Red Veil collects six new tracks that skirt the line between drone bliss, bass-heavy guitar workouts and ethereal dust. In Subarachnoid Space's music, it appears doom and destruction is nigh. The band contemplates this notion through their songs, finding in the pensive act a tweaked reality.
It's here that they cross into the modern psychedelic cache of bands: like-minded souls Bardo Pond, who they collaborated with on a split record, Bevis Frond, a British group who embodies the '60s heritage of the genre and Acid Mothers Temple, the Japanese powerhouse perhaps best known to fans of this contemporary head music. Formed in 1996 as a trio, the now-quartet has undergone several lineup changes since their inception. Their camaraderie with other drone-rock groups can be traced to their appearance at the Terrastock music festivals, and a network of underground labels like Charnel Music, Camera Obscura and their current imprint Strange Attractors. The sense of community among this tribe of groups accounts for their survival over the years, allowing these musicians to exist outside their own bubbles of support in their own respective locales.
On The Red Veil, the Subarachnoids move gradually through dark dirges and metal-tinged overtones for a stirring, if sometimes overwrought, work. The build and release modus operandi of many of groups in this genre does not hamper the Subarachnoids, as they jump right into the mire immediately on most tracks, like "Ouroborous", a deep riffing slab of processed guitar and circular pattern-play. The title track acts as a centerpiece, clocking in at eleven minutes. The cut starts as a wash of echo and screaming vulture drones descending for the kill, climbing to peaks of fuzz and distortion. "P.S.S.A." moves in and out of similar territory, but with melodies that are more direct. The loss of focus inherent in long-form rock music remains the deterring factor for some of the longer tracks here, though not all go over the five-minute mark. Sitting back, somewhat detached from the music, is certainly a proper approach to psychedelic music, even in its technologically astute modern incarnations. Just as in an overly long book or story, editing is key. There are no complete drifts of attention here, just some patches of muddled sound not requiring as much. Subarachnoid Space remains one of the enigmatic purveyors of this music today, in a time of subtle revival by many lesser-experienced groups, with The Red Veil providing another layer to their work.
— 18 May 2005
