(written by Islander)
Anyone who was even a semi-regular visitor to our site from 2011 through 2023 will recognize the name Oak Pantheon. Over that period we wrote 24 articles about this Minneapolis band’s music, dating back to their first single and continuing through our review of their last album, 2023’s The Absence.
And yes, it did turn out to be their last album, because this past February Oak Pantheon announced that they were amicably splitting up. They explained on social media: “Drifting motivations and musical interests have made it difficult to agree on a cohesive path forward. We will likely work together again, just in different forms.”
Throughout the entirety of their existence and their quite varied musical expressions Oak Pantheon was principally a collaboration between Sami Sati and Tanner Swenson. Since the dissolution of Oak Pantheon neither of them has abandoned music-making. In the case of Sami Sati, we are happily announcing today that he has a new project called Vanishing Earth that serves as a continuation of his efforts and ambitions in Oak Pantheon.
And today we are also very happily hosting the premiere of Vanishing Earth‘s musical debut, a two-song EP named The Boundless that will be released on June 17th.
The new EP is the solo work of Sami, with session drums by Jason Hirt (formerly of Ghost Bath). People familiar with Oak Pantheon‘s 13-year musical trajectory (including us) would have a tough time predicting what these two songs will sound like, because Sami, Tanner, and their guests musically traveled pretty far and wide as their interests evolved and expanded. These two new songs are themselves quite different from each other.
The first of them, “On the Subject of Zero and Infinity“, builds upon Oak Pantheon‘s neofolk Sol EP from 2018, combining vivid acoustic strumming and big booming and rumbling drums. But electric guitars take over the melody with slashing and swirling tones, backed by cracking beats and vigorous drum-fills, together creating a mood that has a distressing and yearning quality.
When the acoustics return, the words come forth in deep, haunting gasps, which elevate into wrenching howls as the music’s intensity swells again. The intensity diminishes near the end, and the music seems to wail in pain.
The song’s lyrics are brief:
Those who found the abyss gazing back at them
And those who’ve witnessed the eyes of God
Were staring at each other through stained glass
Cosmic reflections of the iris
If only they knew!!
The EP’s second song, “Redbirds“, is almost twice as long as the first one, and its musical range is greater as well, creating an amalgam of neofolk, atmospheric black metal, and even post-rock — perhaps a more complete forecast of where Vanishing Earth may be going in whatever comes next for the project.
Here, neofolk elements again contribute to the song’s shadow-cast opening, which combines those deep gasping vocals, haunted singing, and glinting notes deftly picked whose melody sounds forlorn.
Thoughts of Leonard Cohen come to mind as the singing in the song progresses and as the acoustic melody unfolds. The drumming is again a head-moving force, and paves the way to a beautiful guitar solo that sounds soulful, stricken, and beseeching. The scope of the music expands to panoramic proportions, and the harsh and clean vocals join together, augmenting the song’s emotional power.
Darkness and tension swell in the music too, through abrasive slashing chords and martial beats, but rays of brilliantly flickering light come through the shadows again in another heart-bursting solo that fervently shivers and gloriously gleams.
Everything comes together in a powerhouse finale, the tremolo’d lead guitar flying high, the drums blasting away, the harsh vocals howling with spine-tingling intensity. It will take your breath away.
The lyrics for “Redbirds” are also much more expansive than those of the EP’s first song. They’re both dark and uplifting, and quite eloquent. We’ll share them right after the music stream, along with some additional info about this release.
“REDBIRDS” LYRICS
Grey shadows cover grey earth
Hints of green not yet revealed
Footprints all in the same spot
I wish I met you
Chorus:
Spring won’t be far away now
Frost’s curtain falls
And the birds return
To sing their songs
And the droning silence
Will be replaced
With laughter
And cheer
Flakes drift from above
Can’t tell if it’s snow or ash
My life has been so strange
I don’t feel cold anymore
[Chorus]
Shadows sculpt thoughts inside your mind
They’ll redefine your only knowns
Until they rip and crush your soul
You kill a man and a universe dies
[Chorus]
We’ll go beyond the clouds
Soaring higher, far above
Don’t look back, we’re drifting
Further and further away
The sun belongs to everyone
Ten thousand redbirds
Asked me to sing this song
Fear I’m too late
I still don’t know the words
My voice is quiet
But it’s still louder than the dirt
Dark days are coming
Mankind’s great shame
All will be lost
And that’s when we find hope
No inherent meaning
And that’s exactly why
We must choose to fight
Don’t let despair be
An excuse for a
Cruel heart
The Boundless was mixed by Adam Tucker, and as mentioned, session drums were performed by Jason Hirt. The EP is available at Bandcamp, and Vanishing Earth has established a Facebook page for people interested in following its activities.
BANDCAMP:
https://vanishingearth.bandcamp.com/
FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/VanishingEarthBand/
ADDITIONAL COLLECTED LINKS:
https://linktr.ee/vanishingearth