Review: Ten East & SoftSun ‘Turned To Stone Chapter 10’
Ripple Music’s split vinyl series Turned To Stone has become a benchmark for high-quality, heavy and thematic releases. Each chapter features a pair of stoner, doom or psychedelic rock artists chosen to complement each other and deliver original material in a collaborative manner.
Now on its tenth release, this highly revered concept has thrown up some incredible music through unique pairings such as High Desert Queen and Blue Heron, Mr Bison and Spacetrucker and, of course, my absolute favourite, Howling Giant and Sergeant Thunderhoof.
For Chapter 10, Ten East and SoftSun are the chosen pairing.
SoftSun is the recent transatlantic union of Norwegian musician Pia Isaksen, the doom/heavy psych bassist and vocalist known for her work in Superlynx, and Gary Arce, the Yawning Man guitar maestro and rounded out with Dan Joeright on drums. They already have two incredible albums of glacial, droning ambience to their name.
Both capture the isolation and shared qualities between the icy wastelands of Isaksen’s homeland and Arce’s dry, sun-baked Californian desert. This cross-continental collaboration produced the debut Daylight In The Dark in 2024 and last year’s Eternal Sunrise. Both are packed with atmospheric sounds that shimmer and float majestically, propelled by the interplay between Isaksen’s serene voice and Arce’s otherworldly guitar.
However, the first side of the disc belongs to the underappreciated Ten East. Formed as an experimental project by Arce and fellow Yawning Man members Mario Lalli and Bill Stinson, alongside another desert legend in Brant Bjork, they released their debut in 2005 with Extraterrestrial Highway. Built around a revolving cast of contributors, depending on who is available at the time, this current iteration features Arce, Isaiah Mitchell of Earthless on additional guitars, the aforementioned Isaksen on bass and long-time cohort Bill Stinson on drums.
This release also marks the first new music from Ten Eastin a decade, following 2016’s Skyline Pressure and for fans of the Yawning Man guitarist, it makes Turned To Stone Chapter 10 an absolute must-have. Built around the experimental, loose interplay of the original members, whose natural chemistry has propelled Yawning Man throughout their existence, this latest version continues to hold true to that same spirit of improvisation and freedom.
Contributing two lengthy tracks, the ten-minute First Light opens with those delicious, languid tones that are Arce’s signature. The title feels like it could have come from a SoftSun record, highlighting the thematic synergy between the two acts to the point where it could almost serve as the intro to their third album.
The deep bass rumble of Isaksen hums and wanders beneath the bright guitars, almost a lead instrument in itself, creating plodding rhythms that drift into shifting and changing flourishes. Stinson’s drums, by now so in tune with his fellow alumni, splash with dramatic flair through considered cymbal strikes and thump with resonance. Together, they underpin the low end and make the rhythm section feel individually distinct yet completely unified.
both entities have distinct identities that subtly set them apart shows the thought that went into this release and the calibre of the performers…
This allows the guitar duo of Arce and Mitchell to wind their sounds around them and each other. Soaring lead notes dazzle like birds floating eddy high over the vast open expanse of the desert in a calming and captivating manner. The sucking, backwards pedal effects link with loops and delays to create their distinctly unique sound.
The second track, Slow Motion War, begins with an assertive crunch of drums and a moodier feel. Shorter than the opener, it snaps and pings with greater urgency but is no less mesmerising or ethereal. In seventeen minutes, Ten East demonstrate how to create delicate and intricate instrumentals that still manage to be uplifting, calming and beautiful with what feels like effortless panache.
SoftSun bring three tracks, all over seven minutes in length, and the subtle change is immediately noticeable on Nowhere Else. Gone is the unhurried meandering of Ten East, replaced by a more purposeful intent. The gorgeous, glacial tones still exist, and the laidback vibes remain. However, the difference between the unhurried, journey not destination style of the first two tracks are replaced by the muscular grind of the more assertive drums and bass. Arce’s guitar still floats, swooping and diving as Isaksen’s dreamy vocal tones set SoftSun apart, guiding us through the slow, rich atmosphere.
Open Shelter pings with the sort of indie-like guitar notes that can be associated with Arce’s other projects, such as Waterways and Yawning Sons. The slow, gliding warmth of the verses washes over you as Isaksen’s soothing voice caresses the ear. Emotional Overdrive, meanwhile, carries a more downbeat, doom-like feel. Low and sombre, the track moves at a slow march that is rich and indulgent, never sacrificing that out-of-body experience they conjure.
All three tracks ebb and flow at a similar pace, making them feel like acts in a longer narrative rather than distinct stories in themselves. Coupled with the mellow tones of Ten East serving as an introduction, this makes Turned To Stone Chapter 10 feel like one continual piece of music, showcasing the thought behind the pairing. In some ways, the shared core members give both bands a leg up in that respect. But the fact that both entities have distinct identities that subtly set them apart shows the thought that went into this release and the calibre of the performers.
For fans of Arce, Yawning Man, Ten East, SoftSun and ambient drone, there is simply nothing to dislike on this stunning album.
Label: Ripple Music
Ten East: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
SoftSun: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden
