69 minutes, 47 seconds

Caul
The Sound of Faith

I'm not really sure what role religion plays in Brett Smith's music. I'm not even sure whether the religion in question is Christianity, Buddhism, some combination of the two, or something else entirely. Lyrics are exceedingly rare in Caul's discography, so all we really have to go by are titles. And sure, it's not hard to find song titles that seem to point to some sort of Christian theology: "Thine Is the Day, Thine Is the Night," "At Midnight I Arise to Give Thanks to Thee," "Crux Est Mundi Medicina," "Christ Altogether Lovely," "The Spirit of Man Is the Lamp of the Lord," and so on.

But like the rest of his music, these are mostly ambient-industrial instrumental tracks. So what do the titles really point to? Some sort of Current 93-like apocalyptic Christianity? A wrestling with one's faith?

It's a bit of a mystery, and that's part of Caul's appeal. It's all about the opaque quality of the music--sometimes quietly tuneful, sometimes angrily atonal--and the evocative titles and artwork. The listener completes the work by bringing his or her own interpretation to it. And isn't that what all great art should do?

OK, now that I've used up my earnestness quota for the week, I'm off to do some real work.

Also today:

69:46 Sleepwalk, Black Diagnose
69:43 ESA, Devotion, Discipline, and Denial
69:42 Allerseelen, Neuschwabenland
69:41 Velvet Acid Christ, Between the Eyes, Vol. 4
69:38 In the Nursery, Asphalt
69:38 Velvet Acid Christ, Lust for Blood
69:36 Andraculoid, Observations in Human Error
69:35 Anhedonia, Destructive Forces
69:35 Revolting Cocks, Big Sexy Land
69:35 Steve Roach, The Magnificent Void