Sonically, Cremations is an interesting album considering where Eisold had been before and what has since come after its release. Maybe it’s me, but I do need to be in a certain state of mind to listen to it. It’s extremely experimental and noisy, but there is so much poetic beauty found deep within that I find it an incredible body of work. Back in 2009 when I picked it up by chance (I bought it purely for the cover art), Cremations was unlike anything I had heard at the time. I think there was one other person I knew who was into it and Cold Cave in general, but outside of that, the album was a secret of mine that I held onto and listened to in isolation.
The show was to be held at the iconic Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever. I got there a few hours early to explore the surrounding cemetery and take in the atmosphere. Once inside, I made my way to the merch area. I was met with a dimly lit room with spectacular chandeliers, four large Gothic chairs along the far end of the room and a large fireplace. After taking all this in, I made my way into the space where the performance was to be held. I was greeted with a massive Heartworm projection sitting below an illuminated stained-glass window, with fog already billowing out from both sides of the stage. The space itself was gorgeous and, like the merch room, set the vibe of the night perfectly.
Before getting into Cremations, we had a showcase of Heartworm poets and musicians to savor. First was Eric Paul, who read several excerpts from Providence, recently published by Heartworm Press, touching on topics like fatherhood and growing up in Providence, Rhode Island. Rosa Anschütz went onstage next and performed songs from her LP Sabbaticalto celebrate one year since the album’s release. Her set was hauntingly beautiful, packed full of emotion and drenched in melodic soundscapes and vocals. Lastly was a reading from writer and poet Violetta Leigh, whose prose was exceptional and a definite highlight of the night. I’m very much looking forward to Leigh’s new poetry book with Heartworm Press.
Soon after, Eisold got onstage and hit the first few notes that brought Cremations to life. The set went at a blistering pace, but the energy never let up. The audience was entranced, dancing, with some closing their eyes and simply taking it all in. The tracks themselves are generally on the shorter end; think of them as little glimpses into the mind of Eisold when he started layering these compositions together. Each track was accompanied by an image projected onto the back wall featuring lyrics from specific songs.
It dawned on me during this performance just how poetic and expressive Cremations is. I was absorbed by the content of the words, how they were written and their arrangement when displayed through the projector. I don’t think I truly appreciated this during my time with the album over a decade ago. The Cremations zine I picked up after the show compiles these images and words, and I have revisited them several times since the show.
The performance wasn’t just Eisold. During Heavenly Metals, a personal favorite of mine from both the album and the show, Max G. Morton joined him onstage to recite the spoken-word portions of the track, which I thought added a nice touch. Amy Lee would later join in for a few songs, playing certain sections on both guitar and keys. Other standout songs from the night were E Dreams, Hummingbirds, and, Love You Forever, as they were performed exceptionally well.
When it was all over, “Cremations” filled the back wall as Eisold thanked everyone for coming. I could tell how much this meant to him, and I’m glad that an additional Los Angeles performance was added the night prior. Before the house lights came on, Eisold brought members of Cold Cave onstage to perform Confetti, followed by a cover to close out the night. Sunflowers in hand, it was a triumphant performance by Eisold.
Leave a Reply