One of the things that draws me (even as I admit my inability to fully understand it) to noise acts is their never-ending search to integrate unique soundscapes into the narrative what we call a “song.”  This searching often extends out from the music to the visual representations of said songs, and Qoheleth have made an art out of integrating reality and cultural obsessions into their work, whether its the spiritual commentary that binds together debut album God Is the Warmest Place to Hide or in their latest video for the track “Brood of Vipers” which presents a home invaded by a wash of cultural noise – in this case animated .gifs.  

Positioned as much of a visual group as a musical one, the band has already released a number of videos to accompany and further expand upon the concepts of the album.  “Brood of Vipers” is the second track off God Is the Warmest Place to Hide, and the concept for the video came from the prevalence of memes and animated .gifs in our everyday dialog, and how that shorthand comes to replace any meaningful conversation.  When they permeate every aspect of our lives, perhaps it’s time to take a step back and re-assess how we communicate.

As bands continue to rely on themselves and come up with innovative ways to express their intent, I think we’ll hopefully see an expansion of our dialog around what it means to create in a world where too often we rely on these ephemeral short-hands in place of real analysis and conversation.  Qoheleth are leading their own charge on this, and I hope they continue to do so.

-Chris

God Is the Warmest Place to Hide is available now via the band’s Bandcamp page.  For more information on Qoheleth check out their Facebook page.