Drop Out III by Gnod and White Hills–Album Review
Drop Out III by Gnod and White Hills–Album Review
Fans of the supergroup comprising neo-psych space rockers Gnod and White Hills, rejoice! 15 years after they released their first official transatlantic collaboration, Drop Out II, the two bands return with Drop Out III. They describe Drop Out III as a “director’s cut” of the original, so it’s loaded with remixes and reinterpretations of many tracks from Drop Out II as well as songs that initially were left on the cutting room floor of the recording booth back in 2010.
You might think that after all this time, they got together only to recycle old material, which many bands do with anniversary releases and remix albums in this “everything old is new again” cultural moment we’ve been stuck in for quite a while. But this triple (!) album doesn’t lazily give in to that trope. Instead, it delivers innovative reinterpretations of older tracks, plus a LOT of new and new-ish material, including a digital-only third LP of tracks from each band, plus a new, expanded version of Drop Out II’s “Per Siempre” (more on this one later). Comparing Drop Out III to its predecessor is like comparing your favorite Dead shows: the songs retain the names, but they’re often completely different jams.
Before you dive in, make sure you pack something long-lasting if you want to drop out and smile. This triple LP’s 15 tracks run for nearly two-and-a-half hours, so you’re gonna need them! Most songs run around the 10-minute mark, although a couple are much longer and some are very short (by these bands’ measure).
Don’t be scared off by the length though. Each song takes you on a cinematic journey, building up slowly, never in a rush to get to its destination. Take your time with them, let them settle into your bones. Their artist bio says they “bend the very notions of what rock can do, seemingly suspending our sense of time” and it’s true. These songs don’t feel as long as they are–they’re that entrancing and inviting.
This is why the few short songs — “Undressing Time,” “Air Streams” and “Decorating Time” (a White Hills original) — are a bit of a letdown. Each one clocks in under four minutes long, but they feel more like interludes than fleshed-out songs. They don’t have enough time to develop and find their groove like the other cuts.
Courtesy of the artists
That said, “Per Siempre” wears out its welcome due to its 21-and-a-half minute run, five-and-a-half minutes longer than the original from Drop Out II. Sonically similar to “The End” by the Doors (think of its appearance in Apocalypse Now), the song takes you on a journey upriver, meandering into the heart of darkness, although never quite arriving at Kurtz’s compound. This trip is a long but not strange one.
Opener “Drop Out” is cut down in time from the Drop Out II version, shaving two minutes off the original’s 11-minute run time. It still has the buzzy guitar solo over the motorik beat but is a more welcome, condensed distillation of the original.
Lead-off single “Run-A-Round” seems mostly unchanged after repeated listens. The bright and poppy song bounces along while the song’s title repeats like a mantra.
“Wellhang” (AKA “Well Hang” on Drop Out II) still ambles down the ambient synth path that Jean-Michel Jarre trod in the 70s and 80s. The song jumps right in this time around, dropping out the gradual intro but adding a lot more meat to the cut. The synths burble and burp and would not sound out of place on A Clockwork Orange’s soundtrack.
White Hills by Michael Jung
“Spaced Man” is nearly four minutes shorter here. The song still maintains its menacing march, with a buildup in the verse that conjures up “Colours” by the Sisters of Mercy offshoot project The Sisterhood. This version amps up the maniacal laughter that was more subtle in the original, placing it front and center above the din.
It goes without saying that “Nothing NEU Under the Sky” is an obvious nod to Krautrock pioneers Neu!, whose sonic fingerprints are all over this effort. It’s one of the brighter songs on the album, with the guitars strumming along, and the effects much more muted.
“Unify” stands out among the new tracks here, and it’s definitely worthy of being the second single from this album. It’s one of the few songs with actual lyrics that fight for their place alongside the wah-wah pedal solo that courses through the middle of the piece.
Gnod by Deand Cooper
The punnily titled “Changesaw” is well timed given the current zeitgeist. It makes me want to take a chainsaw to the politics of our age, in time to the song’s driving beat and its Nile Rodgers-inspired guitar lick.
Overall, this album has much to offer both old and new fans alike. Be sure your headphones are fully charged before you tune in and turn on Drop Out III because this one is filed under required listening.
Fans in Europe and the UK can look forward to the Drop Out 2025 tour starting next month and running into May, including an appearance at the Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands. Tour information is available on the Thrill Jockey website. If the shows are anything like the album, it should be an epic experience.
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