The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
16
new
SPILL FEATURE: GROWING AND EVOLVING – A CONVERSATION WITH DEADLANDS
SPILL NEWS: JUNO-NOMINATED ALTERNATIVE INDIE-ROCK DUO SOFTCULT RELEASE NEW SINGLE “NAIVE” ON EASY LIFE RECORDS | TOUR DATES
SPILL NEWS: YELLOWCARD RELEASE NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO “TAKE WHAT YOU WANT” AHEAD OF NEW ALBUM VIA BETTER NOISE MUSIC | TOUR DATES
SPILL NEW MUSIC: CANADIAN PROGRESSIVE ROCK DUO CROWN LANDS SIGN WORLDWIDE DEAL WITH INSIDEOUTMUSIC | LAUNCH ‘RITUAL I’
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: SUGAR BOMB – “ELI SPECIAL”
SPILL FILM REVIEW: HUNG UP ON A DREAM: THE ZOMBIES DOCUMENTARY
SPILL NEW MUSIC: ARK IDENTITY – “STILL IN LOVE”
SPILL TRACK OF THE MONTH: MAREUX – “WILD AT HEART”
SPILL FEATURE: SING EVERY SINGLE SONG UNTIL IT HURTS – A CONVERSATION WITH ANDY STOCHANSKY
SPILL LIVE REVIEW: OMD w/ WALT DISCO @ HISTORY, TORONTO
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JONATHAN RICHMAN – ONLY FROZEN SKY ANYWAY
SPILL NEWS: ACCLAIMED CANADIAN SINGER, SONGWRITER, AND MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST ROYAL WOOD ANNOUNCES NINTH STUDIO ALBUM ‘DEAR JOHN’ | TOUR DATES
SPILL NEWS: BASS DRUM OF DEATH ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM ‘SIX’ OUT SEPTEMBER 12 & SHARE VIDEO FOR “DO NOTHING” | NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
SPILL NEW MUSIC: MONITORS LEAD US DOWN A DARK, HYPNOTIC PATH ON “DANSE MACABRE” | THE FIRST SINGLE FROM NEW ALBUM ‘THE MADELAINE AFFAIR’
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JOHN JENKINS – RESTLESS HEARTS
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE BRAINS – CRAZY MONSTER
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
  • Spill Menu
    • Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Festivals
    • Portraits
    • Headlines
      • News
      • Contests
      • Events
      • Entertainment Headlines
      • Concert Listings
      • Toronto Concert Venues
    • New Music
      • Premieres
      • Track Of The Day
    • Track Of The Month
    • Books + Movies
    • About
Album Reviews
356
previous article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THELONIOUS MONK - MØNK
next article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PAUL COLLINS - OUT OF MY HEAD

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THUS OWLS – THE MOUNTAIN THAT WE LIVE UPON

Thus Owls

Thus Owls
The Mountain That We Live Upon
For The Living And The Dead

Swedish-Canadian duo Erika and Simon Angell have been steadily traveling into the depths of sound possibilities for nearly a decade, reaching out to incorporate unconventional melodies or structures into their music. On their latest release The Mountain That We Live Upon, they collaborated with a group of seven musicians to layer additional guitars, saxophone, trumpet, and percussion, and recording the sessions live which translates the raw vigor that courses through every note. The result is an impressive success of ingenuity, with many moments being able to display a cohesion that plays like perfect captures of the type of improvisation you can only get once.

The majority of the tones on this album maintain a fairly bleak quality to them, done in part to Erika’s mournful singing that can turn you into clay for the band to mold. “Ashore” is a fantastic example of this and also works to showcase the multiple lenses they cast over the songs, ranging from noise, pop, ambient, jazz, and free form styles. A lot of the base melodies from Simon’s guitar playing come in the form of slowcore-influenced leads that, with the inclusion of three other guitarists, can erupt into a wavering wall of sound such as what is found in “Solar Eclipse” and “Future/Past.”

There is something new to be found through each repeated listen of this album, from having it accompany your daily routines to immersing yourself in a single introspective sitting. Whether it is looking into what Erika’s lyrics or vocal rhythms light inside you, or peeling away the layers of the explosive saxophone-fueled closing to the track “Devils in the Dark,” this is one that is well worth the time just to follow them down paths you didn’t know could be explored.



Artist Links

website_flat_2016 facebook_flat_2016 twitter_flat_2016 instagram_flat_2016

Item Reviewed

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THUS OWLS – THE MOUNTAIN THAT WE LIVE UPON

Author

Ryan Ruple

Here's what we think...
Spill Rating
Fan Rating
Rate Here
New Criteria
10
10
8.0
Total Spill Rating
10
Total Fan Rating
1 rating
You have rated this
Album Reviews
album reviewalbum reviewsfor the living and the deadfuture/pastthe mountain that we live uponthus owls
album review, album reviews, for the living and the dead, future/past, the mountain that we live upon, thus owls
About the Author
Ryan Ruple
Based out of Louisiana, Ryan is someone who cherishes the opportunity to transfer his thoughts and dissection of music with others, with a penchant for the underground. Across several writing projects such as novels, short stories, blogs, and podcasts, he is always looking for ways to connect with readers and listeners across multiple mediums, and hopefully show them their next favorite artist.
RELATED ARTICLES
album reviewalbum reviewsfuture/past
 
9.0
Jonathan Richman
7.7

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JONATHAN RICHMAN – ONLY FROZEN SKY ANYWAY

by Aaron Badgley on July 4, 2025
JONATHAN RICHMAN ONLY FROZEN SKY ANYWAY BLUE ARROW RECORDS Only Frozen Sky Anyway is Jonathan Richman’s 18th studio album, add in nine albums with The Modern Lovers and four live albums, one can see that Richman has been very busy since he made [...]
 
9.0
John Jenkins
9.5

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JOHN JENKINS – RESTLESS HEARTS

by Aaron Badgley on July 4, 2025
JOHN JENKINS RESTLESS HEARTS JOHN JENKINS MUSIC Liverpool-based John Jenkins has been releasing music since 2015. Restless Hearts is his first album since the brilliant and very personal Tuebrook, released in 2023. Jenkins is an artist that is [...]
 
8.0
The Brains

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE BRAINS – CRAZY MONSTER

by Aaron Badgley on July 4, 2025
THE BRAINS CRAZY MONSTER CLEOPATRA RECORDS It may be hard to believe, but it has been 20 years since The Brains’ debut album, No Brain, No Pain. This psychobilly (as they describe themselves) have released eight studio albums, and Crazy [...]
 
9.0
The Legends Of Surf Guitar

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: VARIOUS ARTISTS – THE LEGENDS OF SURF GUITAR

by Aaron Badgley on July 4, 2025
VARIOUS ARTISTS THE LEGENDS OF SURF GUITAR OGLIO Releasing a live album of surf music on July 4 is absolutely perfect. This album has captured a moment in time and it is finally seeing the light of day. The Legends Of Surf Guitar brings together [...]
 
9.0
Church Of Trees

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CHURCH OF TREES – THIEF OF JOY

by Aaron Badgley on July 1, 2025
CHURCH OF TREES THIEF OF JOY INDEPENDENT Church Of Trees, the brainchild of multi-talented Bernard Frazer, burst on the scene in 2017 with their debut EP, Primitive Creatures. Since then, they have released five albums and a retrospective [...]

Latest Album Reviews
View All
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JONATHAN RICHMAN – ONLY FROZEN SKY ANYWAY
9.0
7.7
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JOHN JENKINS – RESTLESS HEARTS
9.0
9.5
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE BRAINS – CRAZY MONSTER
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: VARIOUS ARTISTS – THE LEGENDS OF SURF GUITAR
9.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CHURCH OF TREES – THIEF OF JOY
9.0

STAY UP-TO-DATE
WITH OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!

Tweets by @spillmagazine

SPILL MAGAZINE MENU
  • Home | The Spill Magazine
  • Newsletter
  • Premieres
  • SPILL RETRO REVIEWS
  • Track Of The Month
  • Album Reviews
  • Books + Movies
  • Features
  • Live Reviews
  • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • News
  • Events
  • Entertainment Headlines
  • Concert Listings
  • Toronto Concert Venues
  • About Us
  • Contests
  • New Music
  • Contributors
  • TOTD
  • Privacy Policy
  • The Scene Unseen
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2024 | The Spill Magazine
All Rights Reserved.

TRENDING RIGHT NOW
   
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN ONE OF TWO PAIRS OF TICKETS TO SEE OMD PERFORM LIVE AT HISTORY IN TORONTO ON JULY 4!
944
 
SPILL ALBUM PREMIERE: MAX RAEL – THE ENEMY IS US
867
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DUSTY SPRINGFIELD – LONGING
570
 
SPILL CONTEST: ENTER TO WIN A GWAR PRIZE PACK INCLUDING TICKETS TO SEE THEM LIVE AT HISTORY ON JUNE 9!
505
 
SPILL FEATURE: A NEW ERA OF CAR SEAT – A CONVERSATION WITH SETH DALBY, ETHAN IVES & ANDREW KATZ OF CAR SEAT HEADREST
449
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PETER MURPHY – SILVER SHADE
436
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A MEET-AND-GREET PACKAGE TO SEE ALESSIA CARA AT ROY THOMSON HALL ON MAY 15!
420
 
SPILL FEATURE: IT JUST FEELS LIKE WE’RE A LITTLE MORE IN CHARGE – A CONVERSATION WITH CRISPIAN MILLS OF KULA SHAKER
407
 
SPILL NEWS: THE BESNARD LAKES SET TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM ON OCTOBER 10
346
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – ALIVE IN THE CATACOMBS
309
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: HOWARD JONES – PIANO COMPOSED IVORY & PIANO COMPOSED SPIRIO
293
 
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: VAGUE NOTION – “BASE SICK”
265
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LOWEST OF THE LOW – OVER YEARS AND OVERNIGHT
251
ENTERTAINMENT HEADLINES