Yeah, you are not crazy if you are circling back around to this review; the original one got deleted so I had to rewrite it as the previous version disappeared. But this allowed me to spend more time with this album, which gave me more perspective. Most of my reviews or reactions were on my first listen through. This is not to say my instincts were off base on my first listen. It'sa great album, and I just heard more of its nuances. It's an album that I wanted to give more of a listen to as I enjoyed it so much, but I am the sole writer for this blog, and I crank out almost 700 reviews a year, so there is not enough time to listen to every album as much as i might like.
They play post-grunge era, stoner rock in a way that blurs the line between where one begins and the other ends. They are not trying to get a retro sound; everything just clicks organically. a. “Violent Son” has a moodier swagger and syncopated riff that finds the guitars adding atmosphere that allows the vocals to coast between it all. The vocals here are in a mellow croon that is possibly drug-induced. The strength of the vocals is not in their range but how emotion is conveyed and where he puts his voice.
“Coat of Arms finds the rock energy in a reflective melancholia. There is little in the way of studio sheen as they captured a very organic feel, like you are in their rehearsal space and they just pressed record, despite hte multi-layered guitar tracks that bring contrasting tones to life. A version of Jethro Tull’s “Locomotive Breath” that is one of the album’s hardest rocking moments. His vocal cords tensing into a scream to accent phrases.
There is a more southern rock vibe to the guitars strolling through “Good Faith’ as the song unfurls in a cloud of pot smoke. This southern rock thing could also be a 70s rock vibe in general, though not referring to the radio version of that unless we are talking about their stint with Jethro Tull. Often when we talk about grunge we think about the radio staples that chased hair metal off the air rather than the more drug-influenced ambiance that bands like Screaming Trees brooded within, which serves as a fair point of comparison once you delve deeper into the album andd the songs become more jammed out. On a song like “Crux” they still maintain a maple rock backbone. The vocal melodies slowly latch into your subconscious without overt hooks in your face, but lines found in the refrains they build into. It is easy to hear how this narcotic-tinged malaise found in the vocals could be compared to Queens of the Stone Age in how it glides over the riffs.
It’s hard to say this album is dark, but there are some more introspective moments of downtrodden gray that bubble up on songs like “Odetta” as it builds up into a hypnotic throb. “Strange You Are” also shuffles with a bleak tension. Both songs have excellent nuanced phrasing in their guitar part rather than just rocking off a riff. Bass lines into the pulse of the title track that harkens back to a 90s grunge sound with twisted remnants of classic rock haunting the hook-tinged riffs and explosive swell of dynamics. What works the most about these guys is not shredding guitars or punishing playing but outstanding songwriting that tells heartfelt stories with enough surreal metaphor to leave you guessing. If you want rock music that does not sound like a beer commercial and casts a heady shadow over your bong, this album is a must.I will give it a 10.
