A mesmeric collaboration between two fiercely original artists results in an album of incredible depth!
I’m going to take it as a fact that if you are reading this review, on this website, you are going to know who Sumac are. The band consists of three band members who need no introduction and is practically what the term “supergroup” was coined for. However, they consistently fly under the radar of the more mainstream mindset thanks to their utter devotion to making the kind of music they want, I’ve written before about bands not fitting into any genres, but these guys are next level, heck, some people wouldn’t even call what they produce as music, ppfftt what do they know eh.
Some of you however may not know Moor Mother. Moor Mother is the stage name of fiercely independent HipHop artist Camae Ayewa (one half of the Black Quantum Futurism collective who together form Irreversible Entanglement, who are a liberation oriented Free Jazz collective). Knowing the backstory for Moor Mother helps to understand just what this album sets out to do, or rather, it helps you to begin to form an understanding of the sonic assault coming out of your speakers.
The result of this audacious collaboration between these artists is the album The Film, which shatters the boundaries of any genre, crafting an album that is as challenging as it is rewarding. Moor Mother’s biting bars provide a beacon amidst the cacophony provided by Sumac. You should think of this album as not so much a collection of songs, but as a distillation of ideas, it’s a rebellion against, well, everything, because let’s face it, everything is a bit shitty these days. What better way of sticking two fingers up at the universe than with a sonically dense, lyrically heavy, distortion drowned ‘fuck you’ of an album?
From the opening strains of opening track “Scene 1” the listener is plunged into a maelstrom where dissonance and harmony coexist in an uneasy alliance. The album eschews conventional song structures, presenting instead a series of sonic vignettes that demand full immersion. The Film delves into issues of displacement, climate, and human rights, skewering each with a sense of fury.
Moor Mother and Sumac’s vision for this collaboration as an art project rather than a mere collection of songs is palpably realized. Each track unfolds like a scene, contributing to a larger narrative that resists facile interpretation. Due to its very nature it’s very difficult to pin down this slippery, twisting monster of an album enough to truly do it justice with a mere review.
Recorded at Studio Litho in Seattle with engineer Scott Evans, the production captures the raw intensity of the performances while allowing both moments of haunting beauty and extreme heaviness to emerge from the chaos. The physical release, adorned with Aaron Turner’s evocative artwork and Moor Mother’s conceptual input, is a testament to the project’s holistic artistry.
The Film is not an album that offers easy gratification. It challenges, provokes, and ultimately transforms the attentive listener. In a musical landscape often marred by predictability, Sumac and Moor Mother have delivered a work that is unapologetically original and profoundly affecting.
