We’re happy to host the exclusive stream for Marathon‘s new record, Sanctuary, before the official release tomorrow at the Art Theater. You can stream the whole thing below, and check out the event page to grab tickets to the show tomorrow evening.
The record stems from the project of Brandon Beachum, which was his solo recording project for quite some time before it became a much larger collaborative endeavor with many musicians. Two drummers, six guitarists, a vibraphone and a bass, plus more went into this piece. The record was recorded earlier this year at Matt Talbott of HUM’s Earth Analog Studio, mixed by Talbott and Matt Wenzel, and mastered by Jonathan Pines of Private Studios in Urbana. Heirship Records is releasing it this weekend on vinyl.
The record stretches out across a half hour mixing improvisation, spread over what is mostly a single thematic chord — integrating drone, experimental, tribal, and ambient sound across the board. (Much emphasis on sound here.) Several outfits and artists come to mind when listening, though I would imagine Marathon as a group would be grateful for these comparisions — Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Stars of the Lid, and Boredoms, to name a few, are summoned when digesting Sanctuary. That’s just the beginning, and I’d imagine that sitting in the Art Theater and taking this one in on Saturday evening would be quite the treat.
Though I don’t believe the “album” has been lost upon most nowadays — especially with the consistency of local releases and albums coming out in Champaign-Urbana — this is one of those true album listens as a piece of music. Not that you have much of a choice, but as a sprawling composition, Marathon nails this one from a conceptual standpoint — especially with a wax release.
Take a listen for yourself below: