Yoo Doo Right - From the Heights of Our Pastureland
Mothland
Released on November 8th, 2024
You step out onto the front porch, your gaze sweeping over a vast ocean of farmland. Heavy, unsettled clouds loom on the horizon, casting an eerie stillness in the air. Not a breath of wind, nor the warble of a bird to break the silence. In the distance, a steady hum gradually rises into a piercing wail—an air raid siren. A tornado is coming. With just the hum of a guitar blaring through a cranked amp over warm organs, Yoo Doo Right sets an ominous and foreboding tone to open their latest album, From the Heights of Our Pastureland.
The Montreal-based krautrock trio returns with their third album in just four years, continuing to expand their sonic and thematic boundaries. While they retain much of the uninhibited, ferocious energy that defined their previous releases, FTHOOP is a decidedly more melodic and focused effort. Thematically, it feels clear, urgent, and poignant. Expanding on ideas mused about in past records, they set out to explore "the storm of colonialism, the collapse of capitalism and the massive undertaking it is to rebuild with past mistakes taken into deep consideration."
This trio understands tension and release better than most, and FTHOOP is a shining example. The first track, “Spirit’s Heavy, But Not Overthrown,” is a monstrous, 13-minute canticle split into two parts that act as the thesis of the album. Pt. 1 mirrors the wail of an air raid siren, an ominous warning of the impending storm. Pt. 2 spends most of its runtime marching steadily forward, luring you into a sense of calm despite the foreboding tone; the steady beat of the drums, the ostinato on keys, and the bass marching fervently forward all provide a sense of order. That is, until the dam breaks and all hell breaks loose. There is a brief reprieve in the storm when Yoo Doo Right cantillates the only words spoken on the album:
“We took this land with calloused hands
Concrete rivers flow with fervent haste
Spirit's heavy, but not overthrown
We overlook the valley from our pastureland
As steam escapes our mouths in the coolness of the morning
All wheels stand still if we want them to
All wheels stand still”
Little more needs to be said to get their point across. They continue on their sonic trajectory through the rest of the track list, veering between order and chaos - just as the so-called “law & order” that underpins capitalism and colonialism eventually gives way to unmitigated violence and despair. Amidst the moments of order and despair are glimmers of righteous indignation - a call to arms, as it were. These hopeful moments, while fleeting, feel like warm sun on your face on a frosty winter morning. But when they dip from hope to despair, it feels like getting churned through the gears of a giant machine, not unlike the machinery of capitalism pulverizing workers and resources, extracting surplus value, and destroying bodies and land before spitting out their empty husks.
Integral to the impact of any Yoo Doo Right record is their ability to maintain a live atmosphere while also generating veritable atmospheric rivers of sound. FTHOOP was recorded by the trio over a few days in a remote cabin - probably the best way to do it as no urban neighbourhood could possibly tolerate the volume of a Yoo Doo Right recording session. While there was extensive sound design work and experimentation done afterwards, this is still a guitar record for guitar people. It’s a tonal and textural feast, not unlike the amp-busting tone of Boris or BIG|BRAVE.
From the Heights of Our Pastureland encapsulates all the fervor and tenacity that defines Yoo Doo Right, but this album feels altogether more focussed and rousing than their previous works. The album offers a brutal, unflinching look at the failure of capitalism, the weight of colonialism, and the search for a better way forward. And all of this is conveyed by a mere stanza of lyrics amongst 42 minutes of ferocious post-rock. Part dirge, part call to arms, From the Heights of Our Pastureland carries an overarching sense of righteous indignation to serve as the spark that fuels the march toward a better future.
- Clay Geddert