[photo by Peter Beste]
Preparations continue to be made for the release of SUNN O)))‘s upcoming LP, Kannon, this December. The album will see its release via Southern Lord Recordings, and this week the album’s cover art and preorder options have been issued.
Consisting of three self-titled pieces of a triadic whole, the roots to SUNN O)))‘s new album trace deeply into the sessions of their 2009-released Monoliths & Dimensions LP and very recent collaborative recordings with Ulver (Terrestrials, 2014) and Scott Walker (Soused, 2015), culminated and fully realized this year. Recorded and mixed with SUNN O)))‘s close colleague and co-producer Randall Dunn at Studio Litho, Aleph and Avast!, Kannon is as always composed around the immense guitar and bass interplay of founders Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson, and includes performances by long term allies and collaborators Attila Csihar, Oren Ambarchi, Rex Ritter, Steve Moore and others.
The literal representation of Kannon is as an aspect of Buddha: commonly known as the Guanyin Bodhisattva (Chinese: 觀音è©è–©) amongst a plurality of other forms. There is a rich lineage behind this idea tracing back through many Asian belief systems, with as many names and cultural personifications of the idea.
Some new insight from artist Angela Lafont Bolliger on her inspiration for the creation of the sculpture for Kannon‘s cover artwork has been issued:
“I was working on a visual concept inspired by Gian Lorenzo Berninis “Ecstasy of Saint Teresa” (a life-sized Italian baroque sculpture in white marble) and had shared a short description about this project. I took a great interest in the conceptual thought behind the album…
…SUNN O)))‘s compositions are minimal but intensely sculptural in depth and detail. This was my inspiration and it was important to me to transcend that idea into the sculpture I would create for the album artwork. Stephen and I both loved the idea that this sculpture could be something really ancient, like a comet – yet also indefinable and timeless…
…I started with an intense research of Guanyin, the imagery, the history, and immersed myself completely into the subject. I then put together a very detailed presentation of ideas… we came to a unanimous decision and went for an idea of “the abstraction of the God of Mercy”. It started by sculpting different black reflective materials, which I then combined with ancient rocks and crystals allowing the surface to be rich and to be viewed as something unseen – an undulating form representing Guanyin’s many hands and heads…
…Highlights were the creation of the sculpture, different materials with versatile textures and creating a tactile object, a sensuous, meditative process. During the photographic shoot of the sculpture, every glossy highlight and detail was amplified. Rotating the sculpture a completely different form would emerge through the lens. This is what fascinates me in art – creation can surprise and transform.”
SUNN O))) live performances in conjunction with the release of Kannon include being the official curators of Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht, Netherlands, running from November 19th through 22nd. The festival will feature sets from Southern Lord labelmates Goatsnake, Martyrdöd, The Secret, Today Is The Day and Big|Brave, as well as Chelsea Wolfe, Om, Annette Peacock, Benny Maupin, Grumbling Fur, Keiji Haino, Charlemagne Palestine, Marissa Nadler; Demdike Stare, Circuit des Yeux, Bölzer and many more. Just two days after their set at Le Guess Who?, SUNN O))) will perform in Paris, France on November 23rd. Additional live actions will be announced shortly.
Kannon will see release through Southern Lord on gatefold LP, CD and digital formats worldwide on December 4th. Preorders are now available via the SUNN O))) store HERE, the Southern Lord store HERE, Southern Lord European store HERE and Bandcamp HERE.
A limited number of white vinyl LPs will also be available at participating Record Store Day outlets Black Friday, November 27th.
http://www.sunn-live.bandcamp.com
http://sunn.southernlord.com
http://sunn.bandcamp.com
http://www.southernlord.com