I am a late-comer to Los Angeles based record label Southern Lord Recordings. I was initially drawn to them by Boris “Pink” (2006) album, and while I don’t buy everything they put out, I am tempted to because of their supreme attention to detail and their obvious love of all things vinyl. As soon as you pick up an album put out by this company you can tell by the design, weight and how many layers there are to the packaging that The Lord isn’t messing around. I find myself picking up albums by bands that I might have no other previous interest in, simply because I don’t want to miss out on a limited pressing that will be harder to find in the future.
There was a time in my life where I only listened to punk rock. All the time. ALL. THE. TIME. And it took me a while before I began to branch out and listen to other forms of music again. Especially metal. For whatever reason it just didn’t connect with me. I thought the solos were too long and complicated, the hair too long, the subject matter to fantastical. I, of course, was being narrow-minded. (Sidenote: I am finally starting to learn that genre tags & classifications don’t mean shit!). Southern Lord does metal a completely different way. They put out releases by Drone-pioneers Earth, Black Sabbath influenced Goatsnake, Japanese psychedelic,punk,metal,anything&everything Boris, thrash-punkers The Accüsed, Tasmanian black-metaler Striborg, etc etc etc. None of the groups fall into an easy category.
The more releases you acquire on this label, the more the players involved will become familiar to you. It is a family, often bands are using the same engineers, art designers, photographers and you come to expect the highest quality product/art. The packaging is almost always Stoughton Heavy-Duty Tip-On Gatefold, colored vinyl on first pressings, supreme artwork (often created by Stephen O’Malley, a member in many SL bands), the actual weight of the packages is incredibly heavy, a reflection of the intense music contained within. So here is a tribute to all things heavy and vinyl and all things Southern Lord…..”Maximum Volume Yields Maximum Results“!
album credits (alphabetically)
Ascend Ample Fire Within Southern Lord Recordings SUNN93, 2008
180 Gram Double Vinyl Clear version, limited to 550
Ascend is Greg Anderson & Gentry Densley
featuring: Steve Moore, Andy Patterson, Attila Csihar, Tyler Smith, Bill Herzog, Don McGreevy, Randall Dunn, Bubba Dupree & Kim Thayil
Initial tracks recorded in Los Angeles May 2007, Salt Lake City, Utah July 2007 and Seattle Dec 2006, Oct 2007 & Jan 2008.
All tracks (except “Desert Cry”) mixed by Randall Dunn @Aleph Studios West Seattle, WA
“Desert Cry” recorded June 2008 by Ascend & Mathias Schneeberger in Los Angeles
Mixed July 2008 by Greg Anderson & Mathias Schneeberger in Los Angeles
Mastered by Mell Dettmer Jan 2008
Design by Stephen O’Malley. Photos by Jen Anderson & Stephen O’Malley
Gatefold Portrait & label photos by Phil Petrocelli. Elephant drawings by Rich Jacobs
Boris Smile Southern Lord Recordings SUNN92, 2008
180 Gram double orange vinyl version, limited to 1,000
Takeshi:VocalsGuitarBass. Wata:VocalsGuitarEcho. Atsuo:VocalsDrumsPercussion
with Michio Kurihara:Guitar
Recorded & Mixed by Souichiro Nakamura & FangsAnalSatan
Mastered by Souichiro Nakamura at Peace Music. Vinyl Lacquers Cut by Bob Weston.
Photo: Miki Matsushima. Drawings: Nene. Collage & Design: Stephen O’Malley.
Produced by Boris.
Boris with Merzbow Rock Dream Southern Lord Recordings SUNN88, 2007
180 Gram triple black vinyl version, Die-cut heavy-duty tip-on sleeve book gatefold
Live at Earthdom, Tokyo 2006/11/18
P.A. Engineered by Yasuaki Satake. Recorded by Kazu.
Mixed & Mastered by Souichiro Nakamura at Peace Music
Design by SOMA (stephen o’malley)
Photo by Miki Matsushima, drawing by Thomas Hooper
Produced by Boris with Merzbow
Burial Chamber Trio Self-Titled Southern Lord Recordings SUNN80, 2007
180 gram single black vinyl version. All black cover with only varnish for art
Greg Anderson, Oren Ambarchi, Attila Csihar
Recorded in Europe January 2007. Mixed by Oren Ambarchi March 2007.
Mastered by Lachlan Carrick & Franc Tetaz at Moose
Photos by Eva Nahon. Art by Skulldoom
ONLY VINYL IS REAL
Earth The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull Southern Lord Recordings SUNN90, 2008
180 Gram double gold/orange vinyl version. Mailorder only. Bible Version book gatefold. Limited to 980
Earth: Dylan Carlson, Adrienne Davies, Steve Moore, Don McGreevy, Milky Burgess
featuring Bill Frisell
Produced by Randall Dunn. Basic tracks recorded at Avast by Randall Dunn & Mell Dettmer. All other recording and mixing at Aleph Studios by Randall Dunn.
Mastered at Sinister Kitchen by Mell Dettmer. Vinyl lacquers cut by Bob Weston.
Artwork & portraits by Arik Roper. Band photo by Phil Petrocelli.
Typography & Design by Stephen O’Malley with Seldon Hunt
Earth Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1 Southern Lord Recordings LORD128, 2011
180 Gram double red-marble vinyl version. Side 4 etching. Heavy-duty tip-on gatefold
Earth: D.A. Carlson, Adrienne Davies, Lori Goldston, Karl Blau
Produced by Stuart Hallerman, D.A. Carlson & Adrienne Davies.
Engineered by Stuart Hallerman.
Recorded & mixed at Avast Studios Seattle WA April & July 2010
Mastered by Mell Dettmer at Aleph Studios, October 2010
Artwork by Stacey Rozich. Art direction by Earth. Lettering by Kyle Hanson
Layout and construction by Aaron Edge
Pelican Ephemeral Southern Lord Recordings LORD105, 2009
180 Gram single Gold vinyl. Heavy-duty tip-on style sleeve. Poster included
Pelican is Trevor de Brauw, Laurent Schroeder-Lebec, Bryan Herweg, Larry Herweg
Recorded at Red Room Studios, Seattle WA during the first week of Feb 2009
Engineered & mixed by Chris Common. Mastered by Ed Brooks.
“Geometry of Murder” originally written by Earth. Guitar on “G.o.M.” by Dylan Carlson.
Cover photo by Danielle Hardy. Back cover photo by Bryan Herweg. Layout via SOMA
Grunge Gravy since 2000.
Pelican What We All Come To Need Southern Lord Recordings LORD110 2009
180 Gram double clear splatter vinyl version. Heavy-duty tip-on glossy gatefold with silver foil lettering, limited to 550
Pelican: Trevor Shelley-de Brauw, Laurent Schroeder-Lebec, Larry Herweg, Bryan Herweg
Recorded at Robert Lang & Red Room Studios. Mixed at Electrokitty, Seattle WA July & August 2009.
Produced, engineered & mixed by Chris Common.
Assistant engineers Derek Moree & Layne McKay.
Mastered by Ed Brooks
Original photography by Andrew Weiss. Photo montage & design by Seldon Hunt.
SUNN O))) The GrimmRobe Demos Southern Lord Recordings SUNN37PLP, 2008
3 Disc picture LP edition of 500 sets exclusively for SUNN O)))s 10th annum US tour.
All tracks recorded 1998 – 1999.
Tracks 1-3 vinyl edits & mastering 2.003 by James Plotkin. Track 4 mastered November 2.004 by John Wiese. Tracks 5-6 mastered at Moose.
Photography: Wynn Bullock, Miasmic visionary text: Seldon Hunt.
Produced by SUNN O))).
sunnO)))&Boris Altar Southern Lord Recordings SUNN62, 2006
180 Gram triple white vinyl version. Mounted inner sleeve, heavy-duty tip-on gatefold
Greg Anderson//Atsuo//Stephen O’Malley//Takeshi//Wata//
featuring: Dylan Carlson, Adrienne Davies, Mell Dettmer, Randall Dunn, Bill Herzog, Steve Moore, Tos Nieuwenhuizen, Joe Preston, Rex Ritter, Jesse Sykes, Troy Swanson, Kim Thayil, Phil Wandscher.
Recorded by Randall Dunn & Mell Dettmer at Litho 2005
Assistant Engineer//Floyd Reitzmah
Additional Recording by Randall Dunn at Aleph 1205
Mixed by Randall Dunn & Mell Dettmer at Avast 0606
Mastered by Mell Dettmer at Sinister Kitchen 0806
Vinyl Cut by Rashad at Dubplates & Mastering 0906
Packaging development & printing//Rob Maushund at Stoughton
Concept & Production by SUNN O))) & Boris
Artwork by Aaron Horkey & Fangsanalsatan
Portraits & Sky by W.T. Nelson, Luminesce Images by Rose Kallal
Art Direction by SOMA & Fangsanalsatan
Under grace of The Lord & Vomit Fœrie
SUNN O))) Monoliths & Dimensions Southern Lord Recordings SUNN100, 2009
180 Gram double black vinyl. Heavy-duty tip-on gatefold, with vellum dust jacket. Printed inner sleeves. Poster included.
SUNN O))) is Stephen O’Malley & Greg Anderson
Key players on this album are Attila Csihar & Oren Ambarchi
Written by SUNN O)))
Produced by SUNN O))) with Randal Dunn & Mell Dettmer
Mastered by Mell Dettmer at Sinister Kitchen
Ensemble arrangements directed by Eyvind Kang
Additional arrangements by Steve Moore, Stephen O’Malley & Randall Dunn
Cover by Richard Serra “out-of-round X” (1999), photographed by Rob McKeever.
Triptych illustration by Cathy Ward. Cyanotypes by Mathilde Darel
Aziluth/Asiyyah drawing by T. Ketola
Portraits by Mathilde Darel, Jenn Anderson, Kerry O’Sullivan & Marco Fusinato
Teotihuacán photo by Giséle Vienne
SUNN O))) art direction by Stephen O’Malley
MAXIMUM VOLUME YIELDS MAXIMUM RESULTS.
Related posts:
Pingback: Important Records | When I Go Deaf