Pocahaunted and Robedoor, Mouth of Prayer cdr review

Pocahaunted and Robedoor, Mouth of Prayer cdr,
released on Blackest Rainbow

The hard-working people at the Not Not Fun label have been making plenty of waves recently with the burgeoning success of Goliath Bird Eater, as well their Bored Fortress 7" series, and I decided it was time, for my own benefit, to give some of bands associated with the L.A. label a much needed listen. Having heard the Robedoor's Shining Smoke cdr, released on LongLongChaney Records, I had some idea what to expect of this collaborative effort, but having no exposure to Pocahaunted previous to this release, I was still in for quite the surprise, and what a surprise! Blooming like a haunted orchid unfolding in one long single track, Mouth of Prayer opens with the light strumming of some distant looped guitar chords, surrounded by the warmth of a gently growing drone. As the warm tones thicken and become more layered, mournful, angelic vocals enter into the mix, crying out over softly padded tribal drumming. Robedoor definitely explore their softer side on Mouth of Prayer, ditching their usually heavily layered, smoke-machine drone textures for a more subtle, breathy approach, exposing a much softer side of the duo's doom-dub experiments. Most likely, this is a result of the more playful company they decided to keep on this cdr. Wordlessly channelling voices from some native netherworld, the ladies from Pocahaunted chant in ghostly circles, adding an ethereal element to Robedoor's burning spirit-fire. Mouth of Prayer is repetitive, but in a good way, and can be experienced as an exercise in ritual ambience. While fans familiar with Not Not Fun's skronkier, no(w)-wave styled releases might be turned off by Pocahaunted and Robedoor's New Agey jrone and jrum circle jams, listeners looking for something to soothe their noise-seared ears would do well to take a swim in these ghostly waters.