Earth Ball – It’s Yours (Upset The Rhythm) – Where were we? Improv? Improvising a review of some kind? What can be said about something like this? This being exceptionally intense challengingly rewarding improvisational avant-psychedelic noise from the Pacific Northwest featuring members involved in tours and collaborations with Wolf Eyes, Deerhoof, Pulitzer prize winning composer Raven Chacon and more? Prize winning never impressed me that much, neither did parroting the press release, need to stop bluffing and go look up Raven Chacon. This album certainly does impress, it impressed from the off, from the very first bite of the first track heard. This is tense, this is intense, this is delicious, they’re not as wild or quite so off-hinge as those Flying Luttenbachers, they have that sense of things though, maybe somewhere between the Luttenbachers and a fluid Sonic Youth? Actually right now they’re kind of reminding me of those darker colours of Huge Baby or maybe even Cay when Cay went off in in an improvised manner and Anet would howl – two now rather obscure references I know (and there’s nothing more annoying that obscure references) but old friends of Organ and ORG Records will know what is meant and know that it should be taken as high praise. Earth Ball are powerful, they’re heavy, properly heavyweight, not in a heavy metal kind of way, just heavily intense, beautifully so. intense from the opening moments of the rather brooding Moon FM right through to the confrontation of Antifreeze right to the (almost relief of the) silence at the end of Hollowgramma.  Actually Antifreeze feels like a freight train rumbling through, not any old freight train though, Earth Ball are not any old rumbling sometimes speeding improvisational avant-psychedelic band, there’s more than just that here on It’s Yours, this is more than just another no wave noise band.  

Actually, if this is improv, and it is, then it is tight improv, it sounds structured, like every sound made here has a purpose, everything precise, precise in that way every mark on a Jackson Pollock canvas was precise. There isn’t an inch of waste here, not a single moment of self indulgence, every sound, ever howl, every almost-word she sings or he sings feels needed, feels necessary. There is a point to ever second here, this is proper art rock, proper psyched-out no wave art rock, this is intense intelligent noise that you can just go with without ever having to think about it too much (unless someone demands you write about it that is)   

“In 2019, Earth Ball’s inception was serendipitous, emerging out of necessity when Isabel Ford, John Brennan, and Jeremy Van Wyck needed a name for a gig. What began as a pragmatic solution blossomed into an artistically conceived project. Embracing complete improvisation, the group’s lineup expands for different projects, now featuring Kellan Maclaughlin on guitar and Liam Murphy on saxophone. Each member brings a diverse musical background, having been part of various bands such as Shearing Pinx, Plan Your Future, Kamikaze Nurse, Eschatons and Psychedelic Dirt. Their individual collaborations with artists like Deerhoof, Raven Chacon, Chris Corsano, William Hooker, and others enrich their collective experience, forging a powerful musical force.

Discography and achievements: in a relatively short timespan, Earth Ball has achieved remarkable milestones. Their first cassette ‘Fruiting Bodies’, released in 2021 under Misophonia Records UK, was followed by the self-released album ‘Go to Earth’. The creative momentum continued with the digital and cassette release of ‘Have One’ in 2023. Earth Ball’s dynamic presence has reverberated across the west coast of Canada, with plans to extend their reach to the east coast and the UK in 2024. Their upcoming LP, scheduled for release on 20th May 2024 under the UK label Upset The Rhythm, marks a significant step forward.
Earth Ball’s live shows epitomize their commitment to spontaneous composition, offering audiences a unique experience at every performance. Notably, their opening act for the legendary experimental duo Wolf Eyes in August 2023 underscores their standing in the psychedelic music scene. As Earth Ball continues to push the boundaries of improvisation and sonic exploration, they remain a guiding light for those seeking a transcendental musical experience”.

And there goes the lazy sharing of the press release again, hey, you needed the background (if you didn’t know it already) and right now the Canadians are brooding through Flash In The Pan and you can’t be listening to this quietly, you can’t be treating it as background music or making a tomato sandwich or doing your accounts while they politely play in the background, actually this does rather demand a painting session, time would be far better spent painting about this rather than trying to dance around the architecture and write about that beautiful intense way they never ever let off with. Earth Ball do not back down, this is an excellent album, this is a glorious noise, I’m off to paint, now what colour is this? (sw)

Album Order details and such via Bandcamp

Earth Ball + Chris Corsano Spring / Summer UK Tour 2024

May 20 – Cafe OTO, London
May 21 – Cafe OTO, London
May 22 – The Peer Hat, Manchester
May 23 – Cube Cinema, Bristol – Cube Cinema
May 24 – English Bridge Workshop, Shrewsbury
May 25 – Flying Duck, Glasgow
May 26 – Lubber Fiend, Newcastle
May 28 – The Chapel, Nottingham
May 29 – Con Club, Lewes
June 1 – Resonance FM radio session, London

Tickets and more information: upsettherhythm.co.uk

Here’s some live footage from April this year

And a taste of tour partner Chris Corsano…