Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Antietam: Opus Mixtum (2008)


There are very few triple albums in my collection (this one is available on two CDs or three LPs). In fact, at the moment, I can only think of three other triple albums that I own, and none are from The Grateful Dead. Of course, I have some CDs that were released as triple LPs, but I only have them on CD.

If you know anything about the US Civil War, you will be aware of the Battle of Antietam, fought on September 17, 1862 near Antietam Creek. The battle was a bloodbath, and regarded as the deadliest battle in American History. It might be unusual to take a band name from a bloody day in US history, but maybe not.

Antietam was founded in Louisville in 1984.  They fit squarely into the Indie rock scene, but for some reason, they are largely unknown, which is a shame. This album is a mixture of music with a hard edge and more acoustic, lush, free-form cinematic pieces, with bits of psychedelia thrown in. It's a bit of a wild ride, but well worth it.

I was unable to find any music online from this record, but here is an earlier track.

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