EARTH BALL - 'Actual Earth Music – Volume 1 & 2' (pre-order)

*NB - this title ships for its release date of March 7th *

Artist: Earth Ball
Title: Actual Earth Music – Volume 1 & 2

Catalogue Number: UTR172
Formats: LP / DIGITAL
Running Time: 42 mins

Track listing:
01.Live at The Fox Cabaret
02. Live at Café OTO with Steve Beresford & Chris Corsano

Vinyl: Limited 180g black vinyl (500 copies)
Sleeve: Gloss card sleeve, printed inner sleeve, download card.

‘Actual Earth Music - Volume 1 & 2’ presents two caustic, yet alluringly unreal live sets from Canadian noise-rock entropy hunters Earth Ball. Following on from the group’s critically appraised ‘It’s Yours’ LP (released 2024 on Upset The Rhythm) this release captures the band at the peak of their powers, playing live, composing spontaneously.

Side A features Earth Ball live at The Fox Cabaret in Vancouver, supporting Wolf Eyes on August 4, 2023. Jeremy Van Wyck from the band considers this “the gig that sent us into orbit, really. Causing Olson & Young to wax poetic about our interstellar jams to a fine bloke across the big sea. Upsetting our casual rhythm and forcing our hand. All that talk led to an LP, ‘It’s Yours’, and a full UK tour the following spring”.

Now, with the birth of this live series ‘Actual Earth Music’, it seems only fitting that Volume 1 should be this gig. It’s a doozy. Listening back is a pure revelation. Earth Ball whip up a vortex of thrashing wild energy, the ecstatic release is off the charts. “You don’t always catch every nuance of the jams as they come down. I mean, this one felt good, but upon listening back to the tapes, it sounded very good” confides Jeremy. “It reminded me of Von Trier’s Melancholia: the sound of a large sphere coming toward you to bring doom. However, this one reverses course, heading away to some other shore, bathing you in reflective bliss before saying goodbye—instead of ending humanity as we know it”.

Volume 2 occupies Side B of this LP, showcasing a collaborative summit from the second night of their recent Café OTO residency on May 21, 2024. This event featured Earth Ball laying down three separate sets—all collaborations. This second recording presents their opening performance and features pivotal UK improv luminary Steve Beresford on piano and free-jazz phenomenon Chris Corsano on drums. “To say I felt nervous would be an understatement.” Jeremy admits. “Here I was with my best friends, in a venue I had dreamt of experiencing gigs in—let alone performing in. Add to that my mind was reeling from the legendary status of our two guests and a sold-out crowd. It was, for sure, a recipe for freezing up and barely playing, with your amp turned right down. Not to be. Between the attitude of our guests and the vibe of the crowd, all nervous energy was dispelled and alchemically transformed into the sonic stew you hear here. An unforgettable night. The image of Steve looming over the grand piano, scraping children’s toys along the strings, creating a horrifically transcendent sound that brought tears to my eyes, will be with me forever.”

These two life-affirming sets make a fine addition to the Earth Ball discography and really demonstrate how intuitive and inventive the group are when they keep cresting the moment. This is so much more than a live album, this is ‘Actual Earth Music’, sharing Earth Ball in their element as they conjure sound from the daunting ether. ‘Actual Earth Music - Volume 1 & 2’ is exhilarating and essential, the stuff of which dreams are made, the thunderous gathering and the thrilling undertow. ‘Actual Earth Music - Volume 1 & 2’ will be released on Upset The Rhythm on March 7th digitally and as a limited 180g black vinyl pressing of 500 copies only.