Wedlock

Sunburned Hand of the Man - Wedlock Eclipse Records ECL-046 / Sunburned Records (Manhand) 16 & 17. Released in 2005 as a double LP in a one-time edition of 1000 copies. Recorded straight to a Sony Mini-DV camera. Procession is a sound collage by Robert Thomas. Sounds by, Agent Z, Agent W, David Bohill, Chris Corsano,Chad Cooper, Critter, Phil Frankliin, Paul Labrecque, John Moloney, Marc Orleans, Rich Pontius, Rob Thomas, Ron Schneiderman, Christine Steele, Valerie Webb and others...Released by Ed Hardy at Eclipse Records. Most, if not all, of the Polaroid Land-Camera Photos were taken by Marc Orleans. Other photos were taken by other members, unfortunately there are no credits on the record. The art was laid out by Rich Pontius. Most of the drums later in the Lp are played by a couple of 4 year olds.. From Mathieu Duval's "My Record Collection" website: "This double LP is the result of a stay in Alaska during the wedding of a close friend of the group. They performed at the ceremony and these are the recordings from those sessions. Does it sound romantic? Has the Sunburned clan conformed and created what would have been considered appropriate wedding music? Of course not! Does it sound exotic and adventurous? You betcha! Perfect music for a young modern couple and with the Alaskan landscape in the background, I could only imagine how incredible this must have been. By itself, the music sounds like pretty standard SHOTM, with none of the excessive weirdness of the later records. They do sound quite untamed and wild however while performing their own brand of exploratory psych jams. The sound is quite raw and lo-fi, giving it that extra earthy feel. A beautiful wedding gift from these artists that we can all share." -7.5 rating on Pitchfork - "one of the best double albums of all time" - Edwin Pouncey - Wire Magazine Dusted review: "By my count, this double LP is the fifth Sunburned clan project to drop in 2005, a year in which the band has been mining consistently fresh and often rewarding musical territory. The CD-Rs Manhunt in D and Zample, as well as the Bastet release No Magic Man, sport tighter funkier Krautrock grooves and a new interest in chopped and looped sample excursions and pure electronic experimentation. Wedlock was actually recorded in June 2003, during the Alaskan wedding of members Paul Labrecque and Valerie Webb. In hindsight, it becomes a prequel, transitioning away from the more chest-rattlingly chaotic tribal squall of earlier efforts, serving as the missing link to the group's newly emerging aesthetic. The opening Procession cuts up snippets of pre-wedding festivities and is as bold a recorded statement as the group has ever made. Little bits of Beethoven piano sonatas, slide guitar riffs and jovial conversation vie for prominence in a collage that's somehow never too busy. Procession segues cinematically into Tent City Roller, which sounds, in comparison, more like one of the beat-driven long-form freakouts beloved of SHOTM fans. All the jingle-jangle rhythms and rattles are present, and so are the customary delay-drenched vocal rants, but the whole thing is subservient to a loping hypnofunk beat that gradually morphs into a grinding Krautgroove more reminiscent of early Can than of 2003 Sunburned. Sure, other tracks on the album bring back the largely acoustic and polyrhythmic noise-wall so commonly associated with this group. Salmon Sez, being a noteworthy example but the epic title track is another fauret into the uhr-groove. After an electronically tinged industrial opening section, the 1970s kick in with a vengeance; the drums are way in the pocket, the heavily phased guitar and minimally riffing bass are infectious and fun. In fact, fun abounds throughout Wedlock, due in large part to the fact that everybody sounds like they're having a hell of a time. Energy and excitement levels are obviously high, and every one of the seven tracks here is shot through with snippets of conversation, laughter and excesses of celebration. The best man's speech ends the last side on an abstractly humorous and touching note, just before somebody (Val?) says Alright, let's do this cake thing. It's a fittingly spontaneous conclusion to a neat piece of real-life performance art. "

This double album was recorded at the wedding of group members Paul Labrecque and Valerie Webb and is among the band's loosest and most-inspired.