by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Benjamin Schurr keeps very busy. Aside from running BLIGHT. Records and performing as a member of the very active Nyxy Nyx, Tadzio, and Luna Honey, Schurr still finds time for his own “solo” project, Ruah (formerly known as Br’er). Following a digital split single with Bad History Month earlier this summer, Ruah returns with Dead Friends/Feeding Demons, a new lathe cut 8” vinyl single (yeah, one more inch than a measly 7”), due out November 12th. The record’s a-side is a baroque rock song with Schurr’s main melody played on Marxophone.
Featuring both Hannah Burris (Tadzio) on viola and Maura Pond (Luna Honey) on vocals, there is an epic swell to the layered performance with an intensity that comes from both programmed and auxiliary percussion. The song is one built on loss and the lament of “Dead Friends,” which is certainly upsetting, but Ruah seems to find life in carrying on in despite the pain. It’s a song about keeping going in their honor, their memory, and to share vision from both this world and the beyond.