Every once in a while, it’s important to reflect on the wise words of famed… occultists. With “Land of Heart’s Desire,” Brooklyn’s Silent Mass does exactly that, trudging through a grungy gale of dream-pop inspired by William Butler Yeats. Yeats, an Irish poet and dramatist, was also a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a secret society rooted in occultism and metaphysics. And while Silent Mass bandleader Ammo Bankoff culled sentiments from one of Yeats’ plays — not some archaic text — for “Land of Heart’s Desire,” the eerie track still seeps from our speakers like a spell.
“Yeats wrote a play entitled The Land of Heart’s Desire about unfulfilled aspirations and how they can inadvertently affect those around you,” Bankoff says. “This led me to consider the consequences of avoidant behaviors in my own life and uncover the source of my escapism.”
Turn up the volume on Silent Mass below.