Rumah Sakit 25 [2LP Vinyl]

Rumah Sakit - Rumah Sakit 25 [2LP Vinyl]

Rumah Sakit were a four-piece rock band based in San Francisco, CA. The group began to take shape in 1998 after guitarist John Baez, bassist Kenseth Thibideau and drummer, Jeff Shannon, all moved from Redlands to San Francisco. Fully formed once guitarist Mitch Cheney quickly joined, the band settled on the name Rumah Sakit a literal Indonesian translation of œsick room (aka hospital) and a sound that fused the frenetic energy of Red-era King Crimson with a meditative melodicism that starkly contrasted the vast majority of so-called œmath-rock bands of the era. Soon thereafter, Rumah Sakit entered the studio for the first time to record what would become their eponymous debut album._x000B__x000B_Rumah Sakit was recorded in 1999 at The Music Annex a hallowed megaplex that counts diverse icons such as Erik Satie, The Tubes, Michael Hedges, Montrose, and American Music Club amongst its many historical clients in two somewhat clandestine overnight sessions with good friends and studio interns, Jay & Ian Pellicci. The album was made with a œno tricks philosophy that would come to define the bands approach to performing and documenting their music. Recorded entirely live with no overdubs in very few takes, the band embraced the art of using the natural presence of the room and strategic gear placement to capture the purest and most accurate representation of those songs in those moments. In an era that was quickly being transformed by the burgeoning popularity of ProTools and meticulously manicured, maximalist mixes, the world inside of Rumah Sakit was a refreshing respite._x000B__x000B_A year later, in the fall of 2000, Rumah Sakit flew renowned Chicago recording engineer and Shellac bassist, Bob Weston, out to San Francisco to spend two brief days recording an EP at John Vanderslices Tiny Telephone Recording. This EP would be released as part of Temporary Residences subscription-based CD series, Travels In Constants (alongside Mogwai, Low, Explosions In The Sky, Eluvium, and MONO). Aside from the original pressing of 1,000 CDs reserved for subscribers, the studio recordings on Travels In Constants were never available again on any format or platform._x000B__x000B_Reuniting with Bob Weston to meticulously remaster the original master tapes, Rumah Sakit 25 collects the bands debut album and their long out-of-print Travels In Constants EP into one exceptional package. Featuring new cover art from old friends and collaborators, Jeremiah Maddock and Marty Anderson, the expansive gatefold 2xLP includes full-color printed inner sleeves featuring hundreds of previously unpublished photos documenting this inspired early era in the bands history, as well as a massive full-size 24-page art book of previously unpublished artwork by Maddock. Its an exquisite opus that masterfully captures a special band at a special time.