Erection House : "Feels of Correction"

This Dannish band kicks up a wild ride of droning sonic rock. The fuzzed out wall of guitars is hypnotizing in a manner not unlike Swans, Hawkwind or Sonic Youth. The band cites MC5 and Stooges as influences on their press released, but aside from the abundance of chaotic energy they are jamming out on I do not hear this otherwise. A little more punk rock in their veins might do them good, as this album is propelled more by a sound than it is by songs. There may or may not be voices used more for effect, than to create anything like a traditional song, but they are likely buried in the guitar that batters the drums down to more of a tinny patter. 

The fourth song is called  "Outro" . It might as well be the first or the second song as everything is b becoming a fuzzed out blur of loud blaring guitars. It is musical enough not to be drone, but jamming with no direction in sight.  This is not done in a manner that holds much common ground with stoner metal until "China". There begins to be vague hints of vocals. A laugh here, and then muttering. At first I think my hearing loss is more severe than I normally convince myself it's not, until "Fields of Correction". I am hearing voices, perhaps this is their ploy to make these songs more interesting than they are. They make you hunt for buried vocals that are less than a whisper. There is certainly not actual singing taking place. 

"Thrust Off" is more of the same, though it seems like there might be more vocals hidden some where if you still care enough to listen for them. The rest of the album falls into a blur. Some of this falls on the production, since there really is none. It casts a new light on garage rock because it sounds like they just pressed record while playing in their garage, and I suppose there is a charm in that which might garner a select audience. I will give this a 6, as it has some fun ideas, that could have been turned into songs, if they had not lost the vocals. Making that score sit on the generous side of things. 

Mystic 100's : " On a Micro Diet"

Punk came about as a middle finger response to hippies. This makes nothing weirder than when a punk band does so many drugs that they turn into hippies. Milk Music did so many that they changed their name to the title of their 2017 album. It is however hard to hate on them because they get right what so many jam band's get wrong. In the studio the Greatful Dead sounded like an experimental country band. Live things changed. They would not have developed the cult like fan-base if they played everything note for note on stage. There was a very expansive lingering that created a meditative effective, which is what these guys captured where bands like Phish and Widespread fuck it up with incessant noodling and a bouncing party vibe that smothers the introspection.  

You can hear the band they used to be when the first song kicks in. Their is less angst as the drugs kick in and things head into space. Yes extended guitar solos happen, but they work with the atmosphere and feel like a working part of the song.  The second song keeps the acid blues flowing, but a softer indie rock feel simmering . The vocals are softly sung and sparse. They even name drop Jerry Garcia, which makes me wonder if this is all a joke . While I appreciate the jazz stylings of "Drug Man" the lyrics press me further to ask if this is all in fun. It's a little darker , but not as focused as the first two songs. The bring back a more down trodden rock sound with an edge on "Windowpane". There is a more Alice Cooper feel than punk. The second part of the title track after is under a minute a more of a return to punk, that might scare the hippies into the previous song.

"Two Souls Dance" captures the feel of the Dead even more. There is an nasal element to the tenor of the vocals that reminds me of the Violent  Femmes at times. Especially in some of the snarkier lyrical moments. The 18 minute "Have You Ever Chased a Moon Beam" is a lot to commit to if you are not into the music so that is something to ponder. Despite the sprawling jammy nature of the song it sonically finds them in a more Pink Floyd like direction. I normally have little use for songs this long, but it worked pretty well for what it was. "Food For the Boogie Man" is more of a collection of trippy sounds than a song. 

"First Day of Peace" closes the album with a more typical Greatful Dead styled jam. The nuanced guitar work is impressive for a bunch of ex punks, which makes me wonder if this is the band proving they could play this just as well a hippies despite being punks. It's good get stoned and go to the beach music. It is impressive enough for me to give it a 9, I am not sure how much I will listen to this album but I respect what they have done here, though not sure how serious they are . 

Grave Bathers : "Rock N Roll Fetish"

 

If you were going to compare this band to Black Sabbath, you would be only justified in comparing to their first album. Even then you would only find common ground in the second side of that album where it is less about songs and sounds more like a live blues jam created by drug fueled hippies with chip on their shoulder. These guys have less of a chip than some and are not going for anything as apocalyptic. The vocals are as bombastic as the energy they come at you with. They even have the nerve to throw a full-on drum solo into "Brain Thief". If you were wondering how jammy and overindulgent this gets, then there is your answer. I prefer the darker place they go on the creeping doom of " the Mole". He also belts it out with throaty guts on this one. Midway into the songs it takes a detour into trippier dimensions as the drugs have obviously kicked in at this point in the session. 

"the Tarman Cometh" has the angular boogie of Sabbath, but lest of the sinister sonics. The belted vocals fall along the groove on this one. It reminds me of the call and response that can be found in "Mississippi Queen" Drum solos are not the end of it. The smoky title track rolls off the rails with a bass solo that grooves into a jam. I like that they are too high to care if you can call a song "Mongoloid Supreme and just go for it. This is the same attitude they apply to songwriting. The same call and response syncopation we have already heard on this album. There are a few guitar solos, but this is the first one where they run with it. There isa more of a 70s grit to "Blood Money". The vocals have almost a Lemmy like feel to how they are belched out. "Vampire of the Rock Operator" has a more promising title than the same fuzzed out rumble than dominates this album.  

The guy has a decent voice, have the time there is an unhinged warble to his tenor squawk, that makes him sound like he is losing his mind. I think his voice worked better when it is slathered in effects as heard on "Nordic Funeral". It gains a rambunctious momentum. There is a more Jimi Hendrix feel to the clanging groove of the guitar on "Taser Shields". the shuffle that moves the song celebrates the guitar playing.  The song has more room to breathe which makes it one of the album's better tracks.  Sure they make more of a commitment to doom on "Devil's Bride: , but I worry less about what genre these guys are going to fall into and more about what are they doing to do most effectively.  Two minutes into the 8-minute song it seems like they are teetering on getting lost in a jam at any moment. The close the album with the lumbering thump of "Ape-like Thing".  It kind of feels like a trailer park version of Clutch covering Black Sabbath. Things blast off at the two-minute mark and the guitarist steps in for a solo I am going to round this down to an 8.5, while it is a fun listen, it is more about the performance than the song. 

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The Pine Box Boys : "the Feast of Three Arms"

If you like Voltaire and Tenacious D, then you might have a higher tolerance for some of these shenanigans than I. Production wise this album is raw , but not in a punk way. I would expect a little more reverb, as singing about your mom killing her self needs a darker back drop. There is still to much of a skip in the step of "Comfy In My Coffin". Some of the glee that should be toned down here is in the bright voice of their lead singer. Some of the guitar tones work well, but if this was sung in a more ghostly baritone then it much be a much different story. It's not until "That Boy is Trouble" that we get the shadows coming in to create a more sinister atmosphere. "Parmalene" is like many of the other songs in that it is way too happy to sell the lyrical content.

Some of the spoken word interludes seem like they would just take up space on the ole iPod. Sure they are telling a story, but I think the music should do the talking here. So for the sake of this review I am just going to ignore these sections. The blue grass swing of "I Killed the Band", might not make them horror billy , but it is well played. There is more hell-fire breathed into the up tempo "Mighty Mighty Preacher". This narrative is not as bleakly told as Murder By Death's "Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them?"  The murder ballad "the Judge" better than most of the songs. "Rise" finds them returning to a lighter tone that reminds me of the Greatful Dead. I can see neo-hippies smoking pot to this one. There is more of a folk feel to "Dog Named Death". It's a song that is good for what it is, I think how they have branded themselves is deceptive as they would go over much better with the folky flannel shirt crowd that latched onto Mumford and Sons, as well as fans of the jam scene. Aside from the lyrics rarely is anything dark about the music. At this point in the album I think there are certain Dave Matthews albums that have a darker tone than these guys.

After a little spoken word section "Meet My Wife" kicks in. It finds them trying to harmonize up in their falsettos for better or worse. "Blameless" is more of a country ballad.
Maybe their first four albums are a lot darker, some how I doubt it. "Rushee -Roo -Let" has a more rock feel to it. I can hear this going over well with the Widespread Panic crowd.There is some almost proggy drumming to this song. They are more straight up blue grass on the quick paced square dance of "the River" .

Purson : " Desire's Magic Theater"

I've owned the band's previous EP and like what I have from them thus far. While summoning a retro vibe is part of their sound there was more of a hard rock under current to their sound which this new full length turns away from in favor of something that is supposed to be a rock opera aiming for Sgt. Pepper and Ziggy Stardust. Right from the get go it feels like it has more in common with T-Rex before colliding into more of a folkish hippy section midway into the opening song. There is more trippy Beatle like orchestration that meets with the band's previous Jethro Tull like prog leanings well. "Electric Landlady" not only has a clever title, but it pretty convincing trip into the 60's. These guys have more than their fair share of chops to make you a day dream believer. "Dead Dodo Down" finds them embarking on more of Doors tinged carnival of colorful chaos. Her vocal melody creeps around "Pedigree Chums"casting shadows that sounds like Siouxsie jamming with early King Crimson.

There are varied shades of 60's painted on this album they range from the most effective and rocking on 'the Sky Parade" to the more freak out go-go dancing of " the Window Cleaner" is a little happy for me and the album continues to carry more of a skip in it's step on "the Way it Is". It's very top for New York rock early 70's think Steely Dan here. The more space jam qualities of "Mr. Howard" help give the song more of it's own personality. Rosalie's alto remains smooth in it's relaxed croon so when she powers into higher notes it transpires with her breaking a sweat. There is more of a ballad feel to "I Know" that reminds me of when Led Zeppelin really mellowed out. Some of the punches still carry the Beatles more rock to them. The very fact that King Crimson, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin have been mentioned in the span of one review speaks to the grand scale of their song writing.


They close the album on a slightly darker and more sultry note with "Bitter Suite". I like the way her vocals were produced here. The steamy pulse of this song makes it feel like it could be on a James Bond soundtrack before the prog chimes in. There is more lounge tinged vaudevillian shimmy to the serpentine way this songs weaves it's around the maze of turns these progressions lead you around with her voice as your tour guide adapting with every turn. I'll round this one up to a 9 and see how it sits with me. They thrown a ton of different colors and textures at you so it's going to take time to digest it .

Niche : "Heading East"

The opening had almost too much of a Beatles vibe to it until the pounds into itself a little more firmly with the drums and the bass having to off set the vocals. It's pretty sunny, jangly and indie rock steeped in the bong water of the 60s.As far as guitar goes there are some very Allman Brothers moments in the harmonies. These guys are not slouches on their chops, they just aren't metal chops. It's not bad just different is the mantra to chant while getting acclimated to this album. There is a little more of a Fleetwood Mac thing going on with "When I'm Gone". The jam band like tendencies make it clear they are no strangers to the Grateful Dead. I can also hear some admiration for Paul Simon and Elliot Smith in the intervals the vocals choose. This is actually the band's third just the first being released by Retro Futurist , the metal connection do no end their as the band's  Keyboardist played with both Kylesa and Black Tusk.

The flower power begins taking over on "On Down the Line" , but the first verse has a pretty good groove that is hard to argue it eventually goes into something that sounds like Govt Mule jamming Santanna songs with Lynyrd Skynyrd. The transitions are seamless, and dynamic for this kind of thing they never seem to re-find the power of the punch the drums gave in the first song. They invoke the mellower side of Thin Lizzy on "Sweet Dear Annie". the singer does his best Phil impersonation. They try to go for Thin Lizzy's more rocking side on "Tough and Mean" and it doesn't sound as genuine to me as their hippy stuff. "Days to Come' sounds like Pink Floyd covering "Thank You". The breathy vocals effectively glide over the song. The embellishments further cement their musician ship. They do build this song up into a more sonic place before taking off into a proto-metal boogie.

The album cover is a pretty fair visual depiction of what to expect, perhaps it could have stood to be a little more retro, but the surreal elements find their way to the corners of most songs. Some times more than other it sounds like these guys have their own thing going, at others their influences overwhelm them. The more pot you smoke the better this album will sound. I don't smoke pot anymore so I'll give it a 7.5.

Ecstatic Vision : "Sonic Praise"

For some reason I had it in my head these guys were an industrial band. Not a stoner jam band. Not really sure where the first song ended and the second song began it ran together in one jam. These guys are good at what they do , the mix seems like it could more balls to it. The vocals are throaty but sung, very similar to Lemmy's backing vocals in Hawkwind, with more effects on them.They hang on a bass line in "Astral Plane" which at twelve and a half minutes is the longest song. They throw in some sax to further the Hawkwind comparisons. At times the drone comes across like the live version of "Dazed and Confused" when the bongo linger in the back ground its more "Sympathy for the Devil".

The have more drive on the chanted "Don't Kill the Vibe" , but still I can't help but think a more organic sound in the production department would put this more in your face. More atmospheric than Monster Magnet's trippier moments, but not as effective as the Devils Blood. The title track and the last song also run together though the last song runs into more kraut rock thing and while it drones it hits a different groove.The guitar goes into a Indian scale while the bass latches onto a more Tool like riff, the combination is pretty effective. They close it with a very pyschonaut lyric about freeing their minds.


 If I still did drugs I would be all over this , but seeing as how I haven't touched them in 13 years I can appreciate this but don't feel the urge that this album is pulling me back to it .I am well adapted to psychedelic music and prefer that elements in music as long as it is dark and I think the thinner digital sounding production takes away from capturing a darker vibe, which Hawkwind had, to the point of where they eventually crossed over and influenced many latter day goth bands. I'll still go ahead and round this one up to an 8.




3.9

Up From the Underground : Magnificent Birds of Prey

The opener  of this Philly based oddity's new album is both more surreal and heavier than I anticipated.  While many genres come into collision over wandering the course of the album, they lean towards more of an 70s acid- rock feel to mixed with some of the atmosphere indulged upon by the more cerebral grunge bands that didn't hit the radio the 90s like Mindfunk or Scatterbrain. At times the vocals have a tender quality bringing to mind Genesis era Peter Gabriel.  Despite the sometime angular jangle to "Icon"  the vocals that go into a throaty roar and the driving bass line keeps this in a firm hard rock vein. They walk an odd line between traditional rock and Police like new wave on "Can't Wash My Soul"with slight punk inflections in the vocals, but the guitar solos are straight up rock.

The vocals return to the more tender place on "Writing Every Thing Away" while the guitar jerks around the vocals and the drums roll more adventurously around the proceedings much like a prog band, until it returns to bouncy up beat verse. The first song where the lyrics really stand out to me is "Stormtrooper Blues" which is written a from the perspective of  one of Darth Vader's minions who finds himself having second thoughts after his vacation request gets denied. The guitars tend to be slathered in an i array of digital delays creating an almost bubbling quality. This keeps a dreamy juxtaposition to the vocals that always gravitate to a huskier blues based rock tone.  The use of backing vocals is the most punk element to most of the songs, since punk rock never indulges in the sort of effects that makes up sound of these birds of prey.

I am more entranced by the smooth surreal jazzy undertones they take on during  "Statue". This allows the vocals more room to wander and allowing their chops to flourish. "Seven" is a more modern take on Jimi Hendrix, until the vocal croon comes in and the rest of the band goes off into funk dabbling prog punk. This is one of the album's harder songs and gives the drummer room to flex his talents. They glide on cruise controlled groove with "Collide O Scope", before the  vocals yet again tense up and add grit. The reflective jazz tone drifts into psychedelic dimensions on "Drive" but with a dose of Spanish castle magic funk in the mix. Their idea of a lullaby sounds more  like something Sublime might have concocted in a stoned moment of inspiration.

If you pre-order the album you get the bonus track "Sharpie" which is one of their more upbeat moments. This album comes out August 18th. 

John Zorn : "Simulacrum"

How do you review a John Zorn album? This is the question I find myself asking this slab of wonderful weirdness, that for him is more accessible than his classic "Naked City" album. He has put John Medeski together with the guitarist from Cleric, who I had no clue could shred like this. Yes thats right it's the dude from Medeski, Martin and Wood, playing with a dude from a metal band. I wonder what Medeski thinks about the chug that opens "Marmarath" which at just over five minutes proves to be economic for the type of jamming he is use to. While this is pretty cool, I don't really hear Zorn on this one. It's mainly Medeski soloing over the crunch. There is more Crimson and Zappa influence on this one than what you normally here from Zorn. Though your really stupid friends might try to compare this to Dream Theater.

"Snakes and Ladders" shows that yes before Mr. Bungle was imitating the jumbled kitchen sink of disjointed jazz Zappa played with, Zorn was doing it. Here though such lines are not as evident. It almost reminds me of the Black Sabbath album where all of Tony Martin's vocals were harmonized n a way to make him sound like Alice In Chains. This is redeemed by the more original groove to "Alterities" . This is jazz , but moving with snake like sinew in South America. Before the obnoxious "yyz" like accents bang in and things get noisy. "Paradigm Shift" brings in a thicker Tool  infused syncopation before blasting off into something more metal. At times it just needs Maynard chanting in the back ground" Letgotoletgoletgotoletgo" .

The album ends with the twelve plus minutes of the "Divine Comedy". It only takes a minute for the deliberate metal riff to come in, then the keys and guitar combines their dazzling powers to float you away and drop you back down into the jazz Odyssey. Yes, the puppets were supposed to be opening up. At the seven minute mark there is a nice melodic section and you begin to think perhaps this album wasn't just about Zorn watching these guys jack off. The actual elements of a song appear again making this one of the pieces that most closely resembles a song, even though this is Zorn's most accessible work, even when he drifts into the Twilight Zone. This might not be Zorn's most original work and it could use more of him actually playing, rather than just being the puppet master, but it is better than the bulk of the prog coming out today so I will give it as 9 as you have to respect every one on this album and Medeski's playing is pretty inspiring.

Up From the Underground : Dimestore Prophets' "Be Yourself"

When this album came out back in April it was much more suited for the summer months to come, in October it's a little more upbeat than what I would listen to but I'm sure these guys do well on the college circuit . Dimestore Prophets hail from Moses Lake Washington they released their newest effort " Be Yourself" back in April they believe in honing their sound onstage , in the past three and half years the band has played over 200 shows up and down the Pacific Northwest, that has included opening for the likes of The Verve Pipe and Indubious. Reggae is an element of what this three piece does, but it's an undercurrent to their jangling throw back to the collage rock of the late 90's. I'm sure the sound these guys kick up does well on college campus' that particularly 420 friendly. There are liberal doses of Blues Traveller and the Spin Doctors, stuff that I wasn't fond of back in the day, but now when it comes on there is certain nostalgia that prevents me from turning the dial.

They do conjure up more balls as certain passages find more grit. The singer has a decent pop inflected voice. You can here the jammy side of the band that I am sure is a larger part of their sound on stage than in the studio, where it seems like they are using a measure of restraint to keep from taking off. The Hammond organ gives songs like "Good Lovin" an almost Black Crowes flavor, but singer Ray Glover's addiction of pop, comes across more like Jason Mraz.The drummer and bassist are pretty impressive in the manner they bring a much larger rambling sound to these simplistic songs. Glover also starts throwing in some sparse soloing, that has a really good tone, for what these guys are doing. The guitars on the album are largely strummed acoustics, the electric guitar is more of an accent. When the chill out into a slower pace it feels like Jimmy Buffet or Zac Brown.

As the album progresses the reggae influence creeps out more, it also bears some pop country elements.If these guys had grown up in Venice Beach or South Beach, the reggae element might be more convincing. "Sunny Day" is the closest these guys come to playing authentic reggae, the are still a few blunts short of Sublime or even the Police. Though some of the punches that come up mid way into "Sunny Day" would not be out of place on "40 oz to Freedom". The album sounds good from a production standpoint. Ben Smith at Synergy Studios in Seattle certainly did these guys a solid and captured some really crisp organic sounds.

Listening to this band you have the feeling that any one who knows them is going to tell you "the albums don't do them justice, you really have to check them out live." I have heard that countless times and might have even said it once or twice myself, but in the case of these guys I have a feeling it's true. Musician's have an adage that you must always play in a way that serves the song, this is true unless you are a better musician than you are a song writer then you need to make the most of the moments you create. Most of these guys' best moments are happening on stage, so when they buckle themselves down to write three or four minute radio songs,  they are losing a lot in translation. This is not to say these are bad songs, it just seems if they had cut loose and jammed out more in the studio it would have probably been a more authentic representation of what I imagine these guys sound like if they are pounding out the kinda mileage playing dives on the road. If you are missing your days getting stoned at the beach this past summer when the first frost of November sets it then this is a good album to have on hand.