January 5th, 2018 - The Unkindness Of Crows In Dark Alleys

Hey there rockers and craft brew freaks!  Happy Friday!  The Meista here today with a pairing of beer and music from some folks in my neck of the woods... "The Unkindness Of Crows" by Eagle Twin and a Dark Alley Imperial Stout from 2 Row Brewing!

Album Info:

• Artist: Eagle Twin
• Title: "The Unkindness Of Crows"
• Recorded: January 2009 in Seattle, Washington
• Release date: 2010 (1st album by Eagle Twin)
• Record company: Southern Lord Records
• Production: Eagle Twin and Randall Dunn
• Album cover art: Gentry Densley, Corey Crowley, and Sri Whipple
• Personnel: Gentry Densley (vocals, guitars, electrons, and amplifiers) and Tyler Smith (gongs, cymbals, drums, fists, tree trunks)
• Musical style: Doom metal, sludge metal, drone metal, art rock with elements of progressive rock, fusion, and psychedelic rock
• Sound: Experimental, heavy, and aggressive, the sound on Eagle Twin's "The Unkindness Of Crows" is akin to the work of Electric Wizard in that it builds from the doom legacy of Black Sabbath, but with more anger and brilliant psychedelic reckless abandon!  Of the album's sound, Densley stated: "Well, a lot of it comes from "the riff" and the whole tradition of "the riff". It's something that I've become more conscious of – from Page and Iommi, down through people like Wino – the whole idea of people channeling "the riff". I'm also interested in myths and mythology and the creation of myths, the scale of the universal consciousness and how these same stories pop up over the years – the whole idea of collective memory and looking at riffs the same way; the real language of "the riff". I also wanted to do more story telling so there are probably influences from a lot of blues artists and also a lot of Mahavishnu influences; harmonically, I just started thinking about putting some more of that in, and there are elements of fusion jazz as well." 
• Major themes: A concept album of sorts, "The Unkindness Of Crows" examines mythological tales and folklore about crows and the creation myth.  The linear notes in the album include the following statement about the lyrical content: "We extend apologies for our shameless fleecing of dead poets, native myths, Mormon hymns, Japanese haikus, Upton Sinclair, and especially Ted Hughes." 
• Tracks:   

1. "In The Beginning Was The Scream"
2. "10,000 Birds Of Black Hot Fire"
3. "Murder Of..."
4. "Storytelling Of Ravens"
5. "Crow Hymn"
6. "Hymnal Slight Return"
7. "Carry On, King Of Carrion"
8. "And It Came To Pass That Birds Fell To Earth As Black Snakes"
9. "Glimpse Of The Ancient Future"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: 2 Row Brewing (Midvale, Utah)
• Website: http://2rowbrewing.com/
• Brew: Dark Alley Imperial Stout
• Style: Imperial Stout
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 14.1%
• IBUs: 56
• Pour: The Dark Alley pours an opaque ink black with a thick, frothy, and creamy 2-finger, dark mocha head with great retention and sticky, layered, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is earthy, roasty, toasty, and malty.  There are aromas of bittersweet baker's dark chocolate, molasses, dark fruits (raisins and prunes), burnt toffee, roasted malts, rich mocha coffee, and hints of booze.
• Taste: The taste of the Dark Alley is bitter, rich, earthy, sweet, boozy, and chocolaty.  There are notes of black licorice, dark chocolate, vanilla, raisin, espresso beans, molasses, toffee, oak, and smoky bourbon.  
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Dark Alley is thick, sticky, velvety, yet biting from the high ABV with a bittersweet and dry finish.

Overall pairing: The dry, dark roasty, and aggressive boozy flavors and aromas of 2 Row's Dark Alley Imperial Stout is the perfect brew to slowly sip whilst listening to the heavy, aggressive, dark, sludgy drone of Eagle Twin's wonderful "The Unkindness Of Crows"!

    

Cheers... hails!!