March 9th, 2017 - Milk Stout And Music To Raise The Dead By

Good evening and happy late Thursday night!  The Meista here with a special treat for you my pretties!  Tonight I'm pairing a couple of locals from my home town of Ogden, Utah... (20 years apart in conception) "...Music To Raise The Dead By..." by Lily's Remains and a Season Ale (Milk Stout) from Talisman Brewing Company!  This pairing is dedicated with respect and reverence to Keith Durham and Branden Linnell!  Cheers guys!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Lily's Remains
• Title: "...Music To Raise The Dead By..."
• Recorded: 1996 at KWOP Studios in Stockton, California and Metro Productions in Clearfield, Utah
• Release date: 1996
• Record company: Bufadora Records
• Production: Branden Linnell and Lily's Remains
• Album cover art: Dana DeLalla and Stacey Klausen
• Personnel: Brady Althouse (guitar and keyboards), James Barnes (guitar), Keith Durham (keyboards), Jared "Jar" Giles (bass), Branden Linnell (lead vocals), Bryce Linnell (percussion)
• Guest musicians: Georgia Barretto (vocals on "Echoes" and "Sleep"), Steve Bendinelli (bass guitar on "Echoes"), and Maria Elena Weiss (vocals on "Winter Gone By" and "Lily's Grave")
• Musical style: Gothic rock, indie pop, psychedelic rock
• Sound: With influence from Bauhaus, the Cure, Echo And The Bunnymen, early Pink Floyd, etc. (and maybe a little King Diamond??), Lily's Remains created a richly textured and very atmospheric sound with "...Music To Raise The Dead By...".  For me the real strength of this album lies within the beautifully haunting keyboards of Durham, the unique and mesmerizing vocals and lyrics of Linnell, and Barnes' ethereal guitar solos.  This is really imaginative, emotionally honest, and wonderfully executed dark music!  (The guitar tone on "Winter Gone By" is perfection!)
• Major themes: Gothic elements of death, sorrow, solitude, isolation, pain, love, loss, darkness, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Moon Girl"
2. "Winter Gone By"
3. "Echoes"
4. "Deceived?"
5. "Lily's Grave"
6. "It Goes On"
7. Music To Raise The Dead By"
8. "Sleep"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Talisman Brewing Company (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: https://www.talismanbrewingco.com/
• Brew: Season Ale (Milk Stout)
• Style: Milk Stout
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 4.0%               
• Pour: The Season Ale  (Milk Stout) pours an ink black with a 1+ finger mocha head that slowly dissipates to a filmy ring with minimal lacing.
• Nose: The nose is earthy, chocolaty, and milky.  There are aromas of coffee beans, hearty roasted malts, cocoa, and fresh cream.
• Taste: The taste follows the nose.  There are bold flavors of milk chocolate, cocoa, light hazelnut, medium blend coffee, cream, vanilla bean, and hearty bread.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Season Ale (Milk Stout) is thick, creamy, and velvety with a dry and slightly sweet finish.

Overall pairing: The thick, creamy, and very dark attributes of the Season Ale (Milk Stout) from the fine folks at Talisman Brewing Company are perfect for the atmospheric depth and sad beauty of Lily's Remains' "...Music To Raise The Dead By..."!  Funny how a brew made twenty years later can capture the feel of this band.  I'm immediately taken back to the O-Town Tavern sometime in the summer of 1996!

Cheers!!