Live White

A band like Sunn O))) has such niche appeal that selling an outsider on their main albums is difficult enough let alone their more obscure EPs and live albums. But if you've plunged down that rabbit hole already, all these rare and/or vinyl only releases become all the more curious. The band re-published their discography on Bandcamp giving diehards who couldn't get their hands on these hard to get releases a chance to check them out.

LiveWhite is one of the band's first recorded live sets. As a band with a very reputable live performance, these live albums offer a limited window to that atmosphere. Though nowadays it's difficult to picture Sunn O))) without a vocalist, they make do here with just their oppressive droning guitar and bass. Tracks one through ten all play into each other with no pause making this essentially a one hour song followed by a seventeen minute track. The splitting of tracks simply denote where the variations occur, and there are a few recognizable riffs from their studio works like "BassAliens", "Hell-O)))-Ween", and "NN O)))". This presentation makes the droning atmosphere much deeper, but the drawback is that it really requires a committed hour to fully absorb.

The lack of vocal elements and mostly unnoticeable electronics does make LiveWhite less captivating than their other live recordings; but as a twist on their studio material up to this point, it's worth a few curious listens. All the tracks blend together well, and the typical drone fan can still find themselves easily enthralled by the atmosphere.

I love Sunn O))). I don't have anything bad to say about them except for their decision to make/release this.

The thing about bands like these is that they aren't meant to be recorded live. They can be enjoyed live, but that's different because the sound quality and atmosphere would be a lot better and endearing if you were present right in front of them. But I think it was a stupid idea to put this out at all because the essence of Sunn O))) is poorly represented here. Yeah the songs are as long as ever, but the maximum force you'd find in one of the actual recordings isn't there, just this distant, sort of "I'm watching from way over there" sound to it. For the most part, it doesn't even sound like a live performance, but like a crowded bar with strange, loud background noise.
There's no point in explaining the songs because that's impossible; suffice to say, you can't really tell where one song begins and another ends.
The only semi-solid performance here is probably Hell-O)))-Ween because you can tell what song it is.

I have seen Sunn O))) live, and it's amazing.
This is just a cash grabbing travesty.