Heron Oblivion
Heron Oblivion (Sub Pop)
Reviewed by Michael Toland, Fri., April 29, 2016
If Sandy Denny and Crazy Horse dropped acid together, Heron Oblivion might result. Constructed of parts from Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound, Comets on Fire, and Howlin Rain, the eponymous San Francisco quartet drowns ethereal folk melodies in a cauldron of distortion and feedback. Drummer/singer Meg Baird's got the fortitude, letting her voice float blissfully over Noel V. Harmonson and Charlie Saufley's molten riffing; bassist Ethan Miller keeps the aggression on point. "Oriar," "Seventeen Landscapes," and the monstrous "Rama" all balance brawn and beauty like a bodybuilding ballerina. (Sat., 7:30pm, Elevation Amphitheater)
