Ranges & Man Mountain USA Tour 25: Boston, Rochester, Columbus

Read: Ranges and Man Mountain Tour Diary Part 1

Day 4

Monday 21 July 2025

O’Brien’s Pub, Boston, Ma

w/ The Burning Paris

I’d been looking forward to going to Boston, having spent a few days there last time I was in America.

We drove through Connecticut along the Merritt Parkway, a beautiful stretch of road with many unique bridges and lush woodlands either side.

The guys all wanted to have lobster rolls. Feeling that my day yesterday had been dominated by getting a sandwich, I choose to instead go exploring the city and get some time to myself to recharge.

Boston is a great place. It has the benefits of a big city, having decent public transport and lots to see and do. But it still felt clean and open, with lots of cool old buildings and greenery. And the weather was ideal.

Ranges. Mark on drums, Tim on guitar

David from Man Mountain

There was another post-rock gig in Boston that night, with a lineup of Pelican and Glacier. Surely this affected turnout for our gig. But somehow, even though the turnout wasn’t huge, this was the show that had netted the band the most money on tour so far.

I don’t have too much more to say about Boston. I was exhausted and in a low mood and not really present much that night.

Day 5

Tuesday 22 July 2025

The Spirit Room, Rochester, NY

I woke up feeling significantly better. It’s amazing what a decent sleep can do to improve one’s mood. We set off to Rochester, to the north of New York state.

It was a reasonably long drive but didn’t feel it. On the way we stopped in at The House of Guitars. It’s was a music nerd’s dream. There was a music shop selling instruments, dotted with memorabilia. Rare instruments, many signed by famous musicians. Downstairs was an old recording studio. Through the rabbit warren was a record shop with thousands of records and CDs and t-shirts piled haphazardly. Photos and signatures of bands who stopped by adorned the walls.

The House of Guitars

Mark works for Gibson, painting guitars. He struck a conversation with the staff and turns out they had a lot of mutant contacts. They gave us a tour of the place. They were showing us a stage where in-store performances happen, and mentioned one that Zakk Wylde had done there. Then he dropped the bombshell that Ozzy Osbourne has just passed away.

It was such a weird coincidence. Mark and Chuck had just been talking about Ozzy on the drive there. And last tour, Mark had been talking about recording with Steve Albini the day that we’d heard that Albini had passed. And I remember that Tom Petty died when I first went on tour with Ranges. So we need to stop touring in order to protect these famous musicians?

One of the funniest stories from House of Guitars was about when adult model Jenna Jameson had come to do an in-store signing to promote Jackson guitars. The line was out the door and around the block, with more fans queuing up to meet Jameson than there had been when Green Day had done an in-store signing.

Most of us bought a t-shirt or hoody. Mark picked up a new cymbal at a very good price.

Rochester had an interesting feel. Lots of big stately looking buildings, like the Kodak headquarters and a few sporting venues. But it was fairly quiet and not many people around.

Spirit Room

The venue, Spirit Room, was a cool space. There was all kinds of weird and wacky decor. Lots of taxidermied animals. The statement piece was huge cast of an elephant head that had featured in The Greatest Showman film, as had a taxidermy ostrich. The bar had a drink offer that involved pulling a tarot card from a deck, and then the bartender would make you a cocktail that corresponds with the chosen card. I was sad to hear that the venue was in it’s final days, with the landlord kicking them off the premises in the near future.

We went and got barbecue before the gig. The portions were big and tasty and everyone was having a great time.

Barbeque

We finished the night with a trip to Taco Bell. The Man Mountain guys had recommended the Baja Blast drink, and Tom could not get enough of the “Obama Blast.”

Ranges. Mark on drums, CJ on guitar

Day 6

Wednesday 23 July

The Spacebar, Columbus, Oh

We started the day with a visit to Niagara Falls. I was surprised to see that it didn’t cost to go to, seeing as many American state parks and attractions do charge for entry. It was pretty impressive. The falls created a lot of water spray, and rainbows were being formed in the mist. Canada was on the other side of the river. We walked around, seeing various falls from different vantage points.

Niagara Falls

We got to Columbus early and browsed a few shops – a record store and a curiosity store that stocked a lot of items similar to what we’d seen at The Spirit Room the night before.

Ranges and Man Mountain had played The Spacebar together back in 2017. They were surprised to see some of their stickers still stuck up where they’d placed them, all those years ago.

It was largely as I remembered it. One of the staff mentioned covid and it made me realise how fortunate we are to still have spaces like this, after years of the live music scene coming to a halt.

We ate Skyline Chili. Spaghetti with chilli. I’m not quite sure what makes that different from spaghetti bolognese but it tasted good.

It was a good sized stage, with lots of incandescent lights hanging and giving a nice glow. Both Man Mountain and Ranges played well.

We stopped at a pizza joint on the corner. Last time we’d been there I’d been quite drunk and Jared had carried me out, quoting Lord of the Rings: “I can’t carry the ring for you Mr Frodo, but I can carry you!” Bryan was delighted to see that the pizza joint had The Fellowship of the Ring playing on the TV, purely coincidentally.

After the gig we had a great time celebrating the last night of the tour. Man Mountain had a ridiculously hot chip coated in a chili seasoning that had been sitting in their merch box for years, with nobody brave enough to try the challenge. I ate a good portion of it, with David and Tim also having some. It was punishingly hot and painted our tongues blue.

L-R: Chuck (sound tech), David, Tom, CJ, Tim, Bryan, Mike. Front L-R: Jacob, Mark, Me (Joseph)

We traded merch, signed each others’ posters. The bar was selling a pineapple cider that was popular. We took a group photo together on the stage, before heading downtown to take another with an Arnold Schwarzenegger statue.

We’re all heading to Indiana for Post Festival after this. Ranges are playing on Saturday. Man Mountain played the festival last year, and are coming as attendees this year. It’ll be a nice way to cap things off, without the big drives and exhaustion that can come with touring.

Joseph James

Ranges & Man Mountain USA Tour 25: Chicago, Cleveland, Brooklyn

Read these first if you’d like some further context for this tour blog:

Ranges USA Tour 2017

Ranges Eu Tour 2018

Ranges UK Tour 2024

Ranges Sin album review

The people in the Ranges van are:

CJ Blessum – Guitarist and owner of A Thousand Arms record label and printshop

Mark Levy – Drummer

Tim Moens – Guitarist

Tom Verryken – Bassist

Chuck Goodwin – Sound engineer

Joseph James (me) – Roadie and photographer

Day 1

Friday 18 July 2025

Bookclub, Chicago, Il

w/ Outrun the Sunlight

First day of tour!

I’d been hanging out with CJ for the past few days. We’d driven a looooong way from Montana to Chicago with the gear and merch. Then we swapped CJs truck out for a tour van with 8 seats and space for the instruments.

CJ and I at Dinosaur Park, South Dakota

Last night we picked Tim and Tom up from the airport. It was their first time in America and it was great seeing their reactions to everything. They kept pointing and saying it was like things they’d seen on TV.

We spent the morning grabbing some breakfast (CJ and Tom got chicken and waffles, Tim and I got a pile of fried potatoes, eggs and avocado), stocking up on snacks and drinks for the van, and setting up at Fort Knox Rehearsal space. The problem with half the band living in Belgium is that the guys don’t get the chance to come together and practice. So they booked a practice space to get used to their gear, play through and set, and iron out the kinks.

At the rehearsal space. Chuck on the faders

I had used a trimmer to buzz my head and most my beard the night prior, leaving a small moustache similar to Mark’s. The guys were cracking up and how Mark and I both looked the same. Mark just took it in his stride and said it was a good look.

Bookclub was a cool venue. It wasn’t the easiest to find because it didn’t have signage. The staff were all super friendly and made us feel welcome. The venue had three levels. The upper level was the green room, that we didn’t really use. The ground level had a bar and an enormous TV wall where they played live footage of the bands on stage. And downstairs was the live music space. The stage was an interesting shape, almost a diamond with a mini catwalk jutting out the front and a pillar in the centre.

Van Mountain

Man Mountain arrived and it was fantastic to see the guys again. I’d met them when they’d toured with Ranges on their 2017 tour, and they toured again with Ranges a few years later. I remember they had a pillow with Nicolas Cage’s face on it, and had drawn John Travolta’s face on an inflatable beach ball (a reference to the movie Face/Off, also featuring Nicolas Cage). I bought them a small laser engraved wooden token with an image of “Saint Nicolas” burnt into it and hung it from their wing mirror. They proudly showed me their vehicle – Van Mountain – complete with a custom license plate and some enormous truck nuts dangling from the tow bar.

After soundcheck, Tim and I went for a walk down to Wrigley Field. The Cubs had just played a game and the bars in the surrounding area were pumping. We each got a Chicago style hot dog and walked around.

Bookclub in Chicago

We arrived back at Bookstore during Man Mountain’s set. They’re class musicians and I loved watching them play again after so many years. There’s a lot of subtlety and nuance to their music, and the new songs from their upcoming album were great. I also thought about how last year I’d played Borderlands 3 on Xbox, which featured a Man Mountain song.

I’d suggested that they sell beard combs at their merch table, so was very pleased to see they had some, along with CDs and pins and stickers.

Man Mountain at Bookstore, Chicago

Local prog rock act Outrun the Sunlight are great. I spent a lot of their set standing side of stage, watching the drummer in awe. It’s pretty complex sounding music and you can tell that they’re masters of their craft.

Mark had some friends turn up, and I actually remembered them from the 2017 tour. He wanted to head out to bars with them but I didn’t want to be in such a crowded, noisy space so I hung outside and called my girlfriend back in New Zealand who I hadn’t spoken to in a few days.

On the way out of town we stopped to see a fountain which had sadly just stopped 5 minutes beforehand at 11pm. Everyone nearby had love heart lights that indicated KPop stars Black pink had just played a concert nearby. Tim really loved seeing the Chicago skyline, which was a stark contrast to the buildings in Belgium.

Traffic was a nightmare, even that late at night. We were running low on gas and a lot of the gas stations had their entry blocked or were hard to access due to one way streets. Eventually we found one, which appeared to have a huge party onsite. Loads of people sitting around in deck chairs and blasting loud music. This is after midnight. So weird. We fueled up quickly and then drove off to our accommodation about an hour away.

Day 2

Saturday 19 July 2025

Dunlap’s Corner Bar, Cleveland, Oh

w/ Seeress

It was a fairly long drive to Cleveland. We didn’t have time to look though the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but stopped in to check out the gift shop anyway.

Walking to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The drive through the city felt a lot different to the insane traffic of Chicago, more spacious and green, with some neat old buildings.

Dunlap’s is a cool space. Joe who ran it was telling me how it is the second oldest bar in the area, started just after the prohibition ended, under the name Pacino’s. It was basically a residential area, and it was pretty funny watching the locals hoon past with insanely loud vehicles. It must have been a local spot for it because the same people drove back and forth along the same stretch, in all manner of crazy vehicles. I’m guessing there was a swimming spot nearby because lots of families went past with swimming costumes and towels. And we saw a beaver cross the road!

Dunlap’s Bar

The stage in Dunlap’s was only big enough to fit a drum kit, so the guitar and bass players set up on the floor in front of the stage. There were a few dim lights and a disco ball that made photography difficult due to low light, but it helped create a cool mood in the space.

Man Mountain was up first. It was really nice catching up with them again, and they kept saying over and over how happy they were to see me after so long. I really love seeing them play. Their music is so comforting and they’ve really honed the dynamics of their songwriting. I asked if they would use the floodlight I remember them using in 2017, and they laughed and said they’d retired it after a bunch of complaints from people who were momentarily blinding by it at their shows.

Tom on bass during Ranges’ set

I wasn’t so keen on Seeress. Man Mountain had packed away some of their lights so it was really dark. The music just didn’t do it for me.

Man Mountain went off to check out a house from A Christmas Story, I guess that’s an iconic film here? We went to our accommodation for much needed sleep ahead of our early start.

Day 3

Sunday 20 July 2025

Gold Sounds, Brooklyn, NY

w/ Another Demon, Precious Blood

Mark is from Brooklyn, so we all knew this would be an interesting day, being a homecoming for him. He’s been so involved in the music scene on so many levels over the years, so he seems to have a connection with almost everyone.

We had an early departure for a long but beautiful drive to NYC. Lovely to see big trees and rivers in Pennsylvania. Certainly nicer than the grassy plains or concrete jungles we’ve encountered this far. A lot of the scenery reminded me of my time in New England when I lived in Maine for a few months.

Everyone was on good spirits and the banter was free flowing, despite the lack of sleep.

Gold Sounds, the venue, opened at 2pm. We arrived at that time, only to discover that we should hold off loading in because there was a matinee show on that afternoon.

On the subway in NYC

We parked up and took the subway to Manhattan to visit Katz’s Delicatessen. There was a long queue to get in. We all ordered pastrami on rye bread with mustard and cheese. They came with a side of pickles and cost over $40 by the time we’d paid for it with a drink and tax and tip included.

Then Mark took us to a bar he used to work at for a few hours before we headed back to the venue.

It was basically a repeat of last time Ranges played NYC: same venue, same visit to Katz’s.

Gold Sounds was ok. The staff were not friendly, the green room was too small to fit much gear and became dangerously cluttered. I thought that booking four bands late on a Sunday night was ambitious, but it was a good turnout. Maybe people don’t have work Monday mornings here?

Ranges set had a few technical mishaps. The cable connecting Tom’s bass cab to the amp kept cutting out, and then his tuning pedal was playing up. Tim used the mic to chat to the audience while they sorted it. All in all it didn’t affect things too much and everyone appeared to enjoy the set.

Joseph James

EP Review: Masters Of This Land – Self Titled

Masters Of This Land is a post-rock/electronica duo from Cairo (closely linked to another act Go! Save The Hostages!). The two members, Amir and Youssef use guitar, bass, synth, a drum machine and a sampler to create relaxing downtempo music.

An interesting bent to this band is that they use their music to satirize the Egyptian government, as well as current nationalist movements around the world (Trump and Brexit were two examples that Amir offered). I can’t pretend that I am aware of the current situation in Egypt, but Amir has filled me in on some recent history, mentioning a 2013 Military coup following from rule by a Muslim Brotherhood.

This political theme is surprising. The imagery of aggression and power contrasts sharply against the mild downtempo music.

On one hand we see some strong satire of the current regime. The Masters Of This Land eagle symbol found on the album cover is based on the Roman SPQR eagle, a symbol of domination. The EP was released on the anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, when the military first took control. Amir shared that the band name was taken from a quote by a recent post-coup Justice Minister who was a former judge. Translated, what he said was that the judges were “masters of this land, and everyone else are slaves” (reference). The band name, symbol and release date are all pointed attacks on the government through ironic mimicry – an answer to the government’s “brain-melting propaganda”, as Amir put it.

One the other hand we have the wonderful music, which doesn’t invoke thoughts of defiance in the slightest.

Tranquil notes play over rigid electronic patterns. Glitchy beats coincide with serene swells. Acoustic and electronic marry and together they create sounds of peace.

Some of the song names are interesting. “C_LORRI”, full of spacey, sci-fi noises, is named after the file name of the first photo of Pluto that the New Horizons probe sent back to earth. “This She-Wolf Is A Gift To My Kinsmen”, with its music box intro, ethereal coos (possibly an e-bow?) clucky synth parts, was the first recorded sentence in (Old) English, written in Anglo-Saxon runes. “Factory 221” was the codename of the area where the Chinese developed atomic weapons in the 50s/60s.

Writing an EP full of relaxing electronic music is an unusual method of protest, but still something I can endorse. I’m a fan of political music, and have always loved the punk ethos of using music as a vehicle to stand up against injustice. And in a weird way it has worked. OK, so this short EP isn’t going to single-handedly overthrow any corrupt governments, but it has at least made me more aware of what is going on in Egypt.

I don’t wish for any of this to be misconstrued as racist. As I said before, I am largely ignorant to the happenings of the various Arab nations throughout recent years. But I do feel compelled to share when I hear stories of rebelling against oppression and injustice.

Politics aside, Masters Of This Land features some great music, perfect for relaxing to. Instrumental projects are open to interpretation, but this one features some fascinating content if you choose to delve deep. If not, never mind, the music stands up on its own as both calming and interesting.

Masters Of This Land links:

Bandcamp: https://gosavethehostages.bandcamp.com/album/masters-of-this-land

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cyrdaebmusic/sets/masters-of-this-land-masters

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MastersOfThisLand/

Joseph James

The Function of Dreams: An Interview with Mark Owen of We Lost The Sea

Sydney post-rockers We Lost The Sea have just released their new album, A Single Flower, and are about to embark on their first USA tour along with hubris. Long time fan and friend of the band Gilbert Potts connected with founding member Mark Owen to discuss.

Gilbert Potts: Thanks for agreeing to an interview with Will Not Fade, and congratulations on the new album A Single Flower and the US tour.

Mark Owen: Thanks Gilbert, I know this isn’t a question, but I just wanted to thank you for your support over the years. It is always great to see you up front of the stage having a great time. Your passion is infectious and you have become a very valued member of the big extended WLTS family.

1. What’s the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard?

Oh man, this is a hard one. Let me think about it. I’ll let you know.

2. You’ve built a strong following over the last eighteen odd years from just four releases, and for many fans it’s mostly the appeal of the thirteen tracks from the last two, instrumental ones. Why do you think people feel such a strong connection to your music?

I think maybe it seems to work out that way for a few reasons. With Departure Songs we really talked about a universal phenomenon of grief and loss, something that everyone experiences, as Nick Cave says: “that if we love, we grieve.” With Triumph & Disaster, we talked about our, humanities, relationships with the earth and each other and it came out at the perfect time really, in the middle of the plague. Well, maybe great topically, just not for touring a new album. Ha.

These are things that people can easily connect to, can easily empathise with and can feel heard about. Which is what we all want at the end of the day, to be seen, feel heard and have our fears and hopes and dreams validated. I think the storytelling and the artwork really helps, although we strive to not be disingenuous. We never write a riff we don’t mean, if it’s angry we are angry about something, if it’s sad we are sad about something. Art imitates life. Listeners can discern if someone is being full of shit, they might not be able to articulate it, but they can tell, especially live. I’ve seen a bunch of Post-Rock bands who are NOT genuine and it really comes across as a bit gross live.

Another reason, without tooting our own horn, we are pretty approachable guys. We love a laugh and a beer and we always try to make time online or in person to talk to people. It has led to some really memorable funny moments as well as hearing some horrifying and heartbreaking stories. We’ve been put into this really amazing position where we get to hear all these peoples stories and it’s a privilege.

3. You’re the last OG of WLTS. What have you gained along the way, both as a band and you personally?

I have experienced some of the greatest moments of my life in this band, not all of them playing shows. Some core memories have definitely been unlocked on tours outside of the shows. Drinking wine on the steps of the Sacré-Cœur with Solkyri and our crew singing “Wonderwall”, of course, bloody Australians, drinking beers in Biergartens in Dusseldorf or snow in Prague, food in China. All of it has been amazing. I’ve gained friends for life, in other bands, in promoters, in people who started as fans and became great friends (not you Bruce from Pray For Sound).I’ve been surrounded by the best crew, Matt, Zoe, Chris, Anton, Mike, Jef the list goes on. We’ve played with some of our favourite bands, met some of our favorite musicians.

But I think what I have gained most of all is a sense of meaning, in all of this. It is something I struggle with, a Camus-like constant questioning, if you follow me on social media you know some of my content can be quite nihilistic at times, and in the moments when I am playing music or sharing a vodka with a local in Poland outside the venue in Warsaw, the noise in my brain, the constant searching for meaning, quietens just a little bit. There isn’t so much of a din happening and I feel settled in that moment. I always felt like I was meant to play music and when I get to do it, I get to share these moments in time with an audience. It’s like everything just feels right.

4. What are you happy to have lost on your journey, and what do you miss?

I am glad we’ve lost a lot of negativity, the band is in an amazing place right now, personally and believe me when I say that over the, just under, 20 years we’ve been a band, we’ve been through it. All kinds of through it. We’ve been angsty and drunks and combative and mistrusting, the entire gambit, all those things that can happen when you have a creative relationship with people. We’ve all been dealing with all of our own bullshit, then wins and the loses and then you walk into a band room and the smallest thing is wrong and next thing you know you feel like a lone soldier landing at normandy, a bit dramatic, maybe.

Actually Matt Harvey described us and I think he was being kind as ‘a bit dramatic’ and I couldn’t have put it better myself. But for the first time in the life of the band it feels very settled, I don’t spend a lot of time mitigating problems or dealing with one drama with one band member or another. I love the guys and it just feels really good.

What I miss is the simplicity of playing a show at venues like The Old Bar or Blackwire Records. Booking a show, doing a flyer and turning up. Maybe you have merch, maybe you don’t. You drink your door take in beers and you just have a great time. Now there is always so much to think about, so much money changing hands, so many people involved. So many fucking emails.

5. Your new release, A Single Flower, has clear WLTS DNA, but you’ve explored new structures, sounds and emotions. From 6:15 on in “Everything Here is Black and Binding” is a good example of the unexpected. What has been inspiring this move away from the more familiar crescendocore?

I have found that the general consensus amongst our fellow post-rockers is that a lot of us don’t listen to a lot of post-rock. I mean, I actually feel like we kind of fell into the genre and while I am happy to have found a home, I don’t love the label per se. So as a band we all listen to a lot of different music, I find myself not actually listening to heaps of music these days, I know I know I should. I am pretty bad at staying on top of new releases etc, I mostly listen to Audiobooks, I have for the last few years, follow me on Goodreads! Ha.

So we try to write what we like, what we want to hear. We don’t actually ever intentionally talk about what styles of things we want or how we want a song to end up being, most of the time. Sometimes, for example “If they Had Hearts” I had a pretty clear vision of how I wanted it to be, what the end result was and how I wanted to achieve that. Likewise, “Everything Here is Black and Binding” was really pushed by Matt (Harvey) who had that guitar motif and the big dirty fuzz part for a long time. And we tried to deviate from it a fair bit and we kept on coming back to the simple almost electronic idea. He wanted a very NIN vibe and we took that general vibe and then pushed it through the WLTS meat grinder.

Just exploring new ways to get heavy or big is always exciting. We all come from heavy band backgrounds and love big riffs and big dirty guitars, and a lot of Matt’s natural playing style is aggressive and angular and he always writes unique to him parts. So he led the charge on this one and fought the good fight to keep it within his vision. The new record feels like a lot more people had moments to stand on a hill and die for parts, if that makes sense.

When things start happening in the writing room ideas can snowball and things move quickly when we are cooking. So it takes a bit of coaxing and a bit of bravery to stand up and say this part is really good, but it’s not what I wanted it to be, and he did that. It was actually the song I had the least to do with overall, still involved, but I intentionally took a back seat because he really had the vision, so I just trusted him and went with it and the results speak for themselves.

6. Your new drummer, Alasdair Belling, has brought a new style following the departure of Nathaniel D’Ugo. The production of A Single Flower has also brought a sharper drum sound to the fore. You must be happy with how the transition has gone?

I literally couldn’t be happier. Al has been such a revelation, such a great breath of fresh air. He brings not only his amazing ability as a drummer but he also has added such a great positive vibe to our band. He’s young and excited and keen to do anything. Obviously after Nathaniel being with the band for such a long time there was a lot of anxiety around the change and it was such a big change to make.

But Al has made it a dream. I could crack on for a long time about how much I love the dude and am grateful for him being in our little band of miscreants but I won’t, I will say though, that we as a band felt in a pretty dark place and I think his joining and what he has brought to the table probably saved us from extinction. I started this band in 2007, it’s been going a long time and the fire was burning low, the writing process had all but stalled and it was growing increasingly difficult to a, get together with D’Ugo living in Perth and b, to write in the room together. The creative fire had gone out and we had hit a wall. When we added Al it lit a fire. The first demo’s for one or two of the ideas on the record were recorded almost 6 years ago and we didn’t have one complete song. Al joined in Oct 2023 and Christmas Day 2024 (shout out to our legend Mastering engineer, Simon Struthers, who finished mastering the record on Christmas Day while holidaying in Japan) it had all been wrapped up.

One thing I love about Al’s drumming on this record is that he’s taken what Nathaniel had established over the years and has just evolved it. Al plays well within his abilities and really was respectful of Nathaniel’s legacy in a way. He does at moments unleash and show us all what a monster drummer he is and he’s also a very good songwriter which really helped. I think when we start writing again he’ll really be able to establish his own style more and I am very excited about that.

As for the production Tim Carr, our Orb Father, did such an amazing job. Everything sounds incredible and we have had a lot of people comment on the drum sound. One thing we did was I wanted to discern Al and Nathaniel in some audible way, something more aural that wasn’t immediately obvious, so I basically told Al i wanted him to trying recording with a vintage Ludwig kit, get that John Bonham, Dave from Russian Circles vibe, more than a traditional drum sound and because Al is a trooper he was happy to, and it worked out really well!

7. Sophie Trudeau of Godspeed You! Black Emperor wrote, recorded and mixed the strings on “The Gloaming”. How did that come about?

It came about with me drinking probably a bottle of red by myself one night, and thinking about the piano piece I wrote and thinking about how I could make it really special. I LOVE Godspeed, they are my favourite band of all time. I think everything about them is amazing, the music, the ethos, the whole thing is amazing. Greg Norman who recorded Triumph & Disaster is from Chicago and he works out of Electric Audio Studios, Steve Albini’s studio and he had recorded two of the previous Godspeed records.

Greg is an absolute legend and we had an amazing time with him and became good friends. So I shot him a drunken email saying “hey I’ve got a dumb idea and please tell me if you aren’t cool, but could you pretty please put me in touch with Sophie from Godspeed.” He said yes and did, and she was absolutely lovely. Godspeed were going on tour and it didn’t look like it was going to happen, but I was just very happy to have her be open to it and I essentially said “If it doesn’t work that’s all okay maybe we can do something further down the line” and I had basically moved on.

I got an email only a few days before we basically needed to submit the record to get mastered and she said that due to a band member illness she was back early and did I still want her to do something, which the answer of course was hell yes. So I didn’t really give her any direction at all and she wrote, recorded and mixed the strings and sent it through to me. I was actually driving a work truck at the time when I got it and I pulled over to listen to it and it was perfect, better than I had ever imagined. It was exactly what I wanted, what it needed and I am so grateful for her, especially considering what the song is about. It feels very right that it was her to play on it.

1.2 What’s the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard?

There is one moment in “The Gloaming” where Sophie does this one run that is THE MOMENT for me. I am sure there are plenty of other answers but right now that is the one.

8. When streaming started it changed the music industry. There were good changes and bad changes, but everyone has had to adapt and there is more music out there than ever. What brings in money for a band your size? What are some of the new ideas you’ve played with to increase awareness and income from music?

Streaming has allowed basically everyone in the world access to our music, which inherently is good. The problem becomes the total oversaturation as well as the problematic pay structures, the complete utter domination by the top tier bands and of course old mate from sp0tify being a warmongering piece of shit. I think to combat this we’ve tried to part of communities. I am in so many online groups and I jump on Reddit and we respond to as many fans who send us messages and emails as we possibly can. I think that connectedness has really helped us with our community and the ability to keep those who are already fans engaged and looking forward to new music, new tours, new merch etc.

I think the hard part is breaking through all the white noise and getting your music out there to new listeners. We aren’t a cool, young hip band, so Tiktok and the likes have no use for us and essentially we’ve been relying on fans to spread the word about us. We’ve also dropped two new clips, one of us in the studio and another which Matt worked hard on with Simeon from Siems. That kind of content helps and both have had a pretty good reach, as well as things like being on some TV shows and the superbowl etc. We’ve always focused on putting out quality, we have really high standards and not much gets past us

9. You’re off to the US very soon. What can your fans over there expect to hear? And can you bring me back some Hatch Green Chilie?

Yes, very excited about it. They should expect to hear a bunch of the new stuff and also of course the old favourites. I think they are lucky, they are getting the best version of the band yet and the best live version and the best live sound we’ve had. So get ready to have a good time/good cry.

And yes, sure. Where do I get it from?

10. You also have some Australian dates coming up in October/November. Last time I saw you the crowd demanded an encore and we got “Balaklava Cold” sans vocals, and it also popped up with vox just before Covid hit. Is there any chance of hearing some more earlier stuff sometime in the future?

We will never say never. Those songs are a big part of our DNA and I love them. The Quietest Place on Earth is my favourite record of ours, well until this new one and I love throwing down heavy riffs with vocals. However, we also want to move on as a band and back ourselves for our newer stuff. But maybe, If we can convince Johannes from CoL to jump up with us, sure!

Thanks for the interview and best wishes for Flower and the tours!

Thanks man, see you at the shows!

We Lost The Sea links:

https://www.welostthesea.com/

https://welostthesea.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/welostthesea

https://www.facebook.com/welostthesea

https://x.com/welostthesea

Interview by Gilbert Potts

Album Review: Ranges – Sin

There is the music you can hear—
And the world built beneath it.

How good are riffs?

Seriously though – how good are they? All kinds. Big, filthy riffs. Shimmering, melancholy riffs. Sludgy, stank face riffs. Riffs that transport you to childhood memories unexpectedly. Riffs that if you’re driving result in your foot pressing harder on the accelerator without realising. Safe to say, I am all too happy to worship at the altar of riffs.

And luckily, Ranges new release Sin is a very fitting addition to the altar.

I must confess, I actually didn’t know much about them heading into this review. After a brief crash course I can say that I was missing out – they’re great… And with some of the most creative, bespoke, wonderful merch and universe building I’ve seen. This is a group of people who deeply love and respect the music and art that they create, and deeply enjoy sharing it with the world. How goddamn amazing.

And so onto their new release: Sin. Seven tracks, seven deadly sins. Full disclosure, I’m not 100% certain which track corresponds to which sin, so I’ve done some internet sleuthing as best I can to align them.

“The Falcon Cannot Hear the Falconer” – Wrath
Opening the album we have a track titled with a line from the William Butler Yeats poem “The Second Coming”. A poem influenced by the trauma and unimaginable horror of the first world war, descending into chaos and sheer terror. Ethereal pads and light, airy effects kick us off before some softly booming tom work guides us into the first instance of chiming guitar riffs. The guitars sway and pierce while the bass slowly rumbles. Suddenly we’re into wrath – piercing, venomous guitar lines erupt from the speakers and swirl around your head.

Just as you’re getting used to it though we’re back into the first building motif again, but with more layered guitar lines to add to the overall wall of sound, reminding me of pg. lost in a way. Exploding proper into the final stanza with the second motif repeating again we get even more high end distorted guitars wailing and thrashing at you. I can absolutely picture this as the soundtrack to coffins opening and the wrathful dead rising – a la the 7” cover inspired by Dante’s Inferno.

‘Their Eyes Sewn Shut’ – Envy
What denotes envy to you? Is it a longing for a thing you can’t or shouldn’t have? If so, the opening of this screams out longing to me. It’s melancholy, slightly wistful and pushed forward by the military style drumming. Then a screaming guitar riff comes in and takes the top of your head off, exploding the track into glorious life. It’s spacious and huge, echoing around the sound stage as wailing lines build and soar. The military snare hits keep us going as the guitar screams, until it recedes into a soft, delicate bridge.

A few well timed clean chords to echo through the space occur before the main guitar melody line comes back in to remind us of the overall track, and hint at one final peak. It’s a study in delicate noise – melodic cacophony. And then, there’s no final noise. We end with the environmental sounds/effects that were all through the track, softly echoing and dying to leave us thinking about what makes us envious.

“Bound To The Black Wind” – Lust
I love this track. It has a delicate, shimmering swagger to it, fragile and vulnerable in the beginning as we ruminate on things lost or things never had. It’s got that ‘classic’ post rock sound that we all know so well – timeless guitars, spacious yet essential drumming, melodic rises and clear yet enveloping mix. Then when the heavy part of the track kicks in it’s immediately buzzsaw guitars soaring and fighting with each other, an evil minor melody cutting through absolutely everything on the track. That melody line could absolutely be the evil, lustful voice in your head. The counterpoint guitar line coming after it is the foil to that voice, cautioning restraint. A great track, and would absolutely hammer live I think.

“Three Throats” – Gluttony
This song certainly seems to be a tale of two parts. The first instance is quiet, delicate and mournful. Everything in its right place, slowly building and moving around one another in no hurry to arrive at the second section. And then the second section is violence.

It’s a simple riff, but oh boy it’s a corker of a riff. This is a nomination to the altar of riffs for sure. It’s a masterclass in ‘less is more’ as the band slowly cycle through the riff over and over, building more venom, anger, distortion and tension into it with each phrase. It encourages head banging, evil faces and gluttony. This is feeding yourself silly on a dirty, evil riff and I am here for it. Ranges don’t give you a choice here – they’re force feeding you this riff and you WILL like it. Awesome.

“Prodigal” – Avarice/Lust
We get a quiet start on this track, with subdued guitars, a thudding, gorgeous bass line humming underneath and simple, propulsive drumming. Slowly building, ebbing and flowing with the instrument lines weaving between each other until the inevitable peak explodes… And it explodes with glorious abandon. Cutting, buzzsaw guitars, bass that seems to be ripped straight from a chasm and signaling impending doom. It’s an aural assault and it is just wonderful.

Lust indeed. I for one am lusting over that guitar tone. It’s gorgeous. It reminds me of If These Trees Could Talk with that slight proggy edge to it, but this is a beast all its own. Then in the bridge we get some delightful strings to float us away briefly before the violence returns. And then we’re back, mired into those wonderful guitar lines with a new, soaring riff over the top threatening to take the top of your head off. And all too soon it’s over. I could listen to this as a 20 minute track easily. Killer.

“The Red Mist” – Anger
Straight out of the gate this track seems to fit exactly with the sin of Anger. An angry, speedy start to this song fires you back in your seat, guitars hitting you square in the chest over and over again, minor rising lines wailing at you until they collapse on themselves. And then – respite? Perhaps, but there is still that undercurrent of tension in the ‘quieter’ section as the anger of the first part still permeates. And while the softer section is great, it’s the urgency, anger and violence of this track that makes it for me. It’s a masterclass in ‘loud/quiet/loud’ songwriting, and one of those tracks that you swear is either 2 minutes or 10 minutes long. When the second, final loud section kicks in it’s all fist pumping and head swaying. If that’s a musical representation of anger – sign me up for an album of it.

“Idle Hands” – Sloth
If I had to describe this song in one word, it would be ‘wistful’. If it is the track for Sloth, then perhaps the sloth is the languid guitar line at the start? There’s a certain sadness to this track that makes me think I got my Sin allocations wrong. It’s slow to start, each instrument coming in to add to the overall wall of sound, chord by chord, riff by riff. And you know it’s coming – the peak. Just because you know it’s coming doesn’t lessen the impact though when it’s done this well. It’s loud, melodic, screaming at you and a suitable vessel for you to scream into the void. Angry guitars yell at you one final time as the track just… dissolves into quiet. A fitting final track.

So, overall a great album. It’s not just the music, but the world they’ve created around it that makes it great. It’s so very clear the time, effort and meticulous crafting that went into this album. And there is a smorgasbord of riffs for you to sink your teeth into. This makes me need to go and listen to everything they have done previously, because I am clearly deficient in my Ranges allocation. Now, where on earth do I get an Æterno coin…

“Where words fail, music speaks.”

Ranges are part of A Thousand Arms records, a post-rock label and screen printing company that creates incredible bespoke merch. They have teamed up with dunk!records in Belgium to press some incredible looking records.

The theme of this album is the seven deadly sins. The album will be released on 7/7. There are seven different variants of the record (limited to 150 copies each), each named after the respective sins.

There are seven limited edition boxsets that contains all variants (already sold out). And for the ultra fans, we have the deluxe boxset (limited to 77 copies, also sold out), which features seven 7″ records, one for each song on the album, with vinyl-exclusive songs on the b-sides. The US Deluxe Edition also includes a suite of seven themed ephemera that align with sins and vices, including playing cards, dice, a cigar, and a poster and merch that have been screen printed in the typical A Thousand Arms attention to detail.

Ranges are about to embark on an American tour with their friends in Man Mountain, playing Midwest and East Coast parts of the country, before finishing at Post Festival in Indianapolis.

Tour dates/ ticketing: https://www.rangesmusic.com/tour

Order Sin:

Bandcamp: https://ranges.bandcamp.com/album/sin
A Thousand Arms store (USA): https://www.athousandarmsstore.com/collections/pre-order-sin-by-ranges
dunk!records (EU) : https://dunkrecords.com/collections/ranges
Wild Thing Music (Au): https://wildthingmusic.com/collections/ranges

Ranges links:

Website: https://www.rangesmusic.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rangesmusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rangesmusic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJg41ELchEChCEtIRKz4NA

Patreon (The Ranges podcast, exclusive merch, early access to releases): https://www.patreon.com/rangesmusic

The Cultus (The world of Ranges lore. Exclusive marketplace, limited edition releases, unpacking the deep mystique and concepts of Ranges’ music) : https://linktr.ee/thecultus

Reviewed by Nick Dodds

Photos by Joseph James