The Gateless Gate - 2014 - Myrrh

Quality: 3.75 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter:4.25 out of 5

I get a lot of submissions, but a few artists really do strike my fancy.  I've got my ears open for the Gateless Gate, who attempt to bowstep their way towards transcendence.  This EP goes for a very subdued version of the M83 soundtrack-mode bombast.  I don't dig it quite as much as the Tibetian shadow mask, but it sounds pretty good with it's wafting synthetic clouds.

We've got a very unified bit of music here, with each track melding into its successor.  The pivot is a cover of the Church's Myrrh, which I believe is the first attempt at lyrical incantations by the groop.  It's good, but sometimes the bookends gleam more brightly.  "Nightmare Decent Into Jericho City" set upon us a strange Middle Eastern vibe, blasting its sinuous grooves into an as yet unrevealed Michael Mann flick.  At the end of the sequence, "Their Hollow Laughter, the Pain in Their Eyes" opens up the full-scale full moon L.A. cityscape - sound of the fog rising into a slowly disintegrating core.

I'm a rooter for the Gateless Gate.  Their debut drew my allegiance and I want to hear where they go next.  This EP is but another interesting detour, but I applaud that sort of quest. I think this set is for the initiated, but you'll get a glimpse of pure music shamanism even if you back into this unprepared.  Enter the gate this way:

https://thegatelessgate.bandcamp.com/album/myrrh

The Gateless Gate - 2013 - Heikan no Setsu

Quality: 4 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4.25 out of 5

A few years back Bjork threw "Medulla" in our direction, which was a completely accapella set of tunes.  For better or for worse, this was my shark jumping moment for Bjork as nothing she's made from that point on quite got my attention as the earlier recordings did.  Now, the Gateless Gate, whose first album I absolutely dig have dared go that route with their second release.  Fortunately, my admiration remains.  Whereas Bjork seemed to use the vocal approach simply as an excuse to go "bip bip PFFEW!!!" over and over again, this album bases much of its vocals in throat singing and other sacred and shamanistic Eastern music. I don't like it quite as much as the debut, but it's a fascinating and welcome progression.  The Gateless Gate are certainly not repeating themselves (or himself if you want).

My favorite tracks are the throatier ones, which suggest wide open desert highlands of psychedelic rust.  "The Mirror of Hui-neng" presents a vocal rhythm of the slow train to Lhasa, and the one-two-three punch of  "Bodhidharma at Shaolin," "The Realization of Dogen Zenji," and "Gaki" present us with an almost fifteen minute run of a meeting with the head monk in his mirrored meditational chamber.  I'm not as hep to the approach on "Sunrise on Mount Shumisen," and "Eihei-ji," which seem to skirt on the realm of Tibetan doo-wop or something.  This is likely the danger of going all vocal with your album.  Still, it's admirable experimentation and "Interdependent Coorigination" throws some prime, melancholic Brian Wilson vocal chords in our direction, which is always welcome.  The closing "Light" throws in some lyrics, which does disrupt the vibe someone, but it's not a bad tune and continues with some fine vocal pads as 'instrumentation.'

I think the Gateless Gate  remains an Eastern-flavored act to keep up with.  This album is certainly an interesting diversion, but I'll definitely have my ears perked up for a less constrained recording.  I think the best music is created under limitations, but it's also important not to less those limitations overpower the core of the music.  Fortunately, this disc remains quite interesting over the course of its running time despite the rather extreme limitations.

Listen and download here:
The Gateless Gate - 2013 - Heikan no Setsu

The Gateless Gate - 2012 - Xinjiang

Quality: 4.5 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4.5 out of 5

Here's one that has been spinning on my mp3 drive pretty consistently for the past few months.  Apparently, this is the maiden voyage of the Gateless Gate, but they've got their grooviness set right into place and it definitely doesn't reek of a rookie release disease.  There are some clear signs of musical DNA in the music, but the groop does of fine job of establishing a clear identity.  We've got the epic the epicness of 70's Mike Oldfield informing the music, as well as the spiritual vibe of Between, who are pretty obscure, but you can read about elsewhere in the blog.  A few touches, such as the throat singing on the opening track, recal the Tibetian vibrations of Philip Glass' stellar 'Kundun' soundtrack.

This is a release that I tend to let glide along, with the tracks melding along into a total experience (like Dolemite's Total Experience, but more meditational).  When I feel like I've heard it a few too many times, I just start in the center.  This makes it hard to single out tracks, but I can point out a few reference points.  As I already mentioned, the opening 'Tian Shan' comes across like a psychedelic ceremony deep in the unreachable corners of Tibet.  'Tunhuang' throws some guitar leads out that rival Oldfield at his 'Hergest Ridge' prime.  The last few tracks take us underground like a freak folk extravaganza plowing acoustic guitar through the fungus.

I get a lot of obscure submissions through the electronic vine, but the Gateless Gate actually ranks right on in with the A-listers, This is one of the best things I've heard this year all around.  I've you've got a yearning for washes of psychedelic ceremonial sounds, you can't do much better than this release.

Experience the highland infinity here. Scroll down a bit and you can have the mp3s for free:
The Gateless Gate