Morose, slothful, bug eyed and permanently in a state of vegetation on the couch, the tracks have – nevertheless – enough soul and intelligence to warm even the most morose Eeyore in a field full of thistles.
Morose, slothful, bug eyed and permanently in a state of vegetation on the couch, the tracks have – nevertheless – enough soul and intelligence to warm even the most morose Eeyore in a field full of thistles.
http://www.konkurrent.nl http://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/
A classic. Really, as soon as I put this record on I thought, “this is a classic”. Why I haven’t reviewed it before is beyond me, as it’s been out for a couple of months but anyway, here is the review, and there you are, (so to speak), and now I’m saying that you need to get your paws on this.
Why? well, for one it’s a ridiculously sorted body of work, confident, happy in its own skin, and able to create a sense of space and atmosphere that is almost otherworldly at times, despite the obvious sonic nods and borrowings. What’s more, the songs are insanely more-ish. Morose, slothful, bug eyed and permanently in a state of vegetation on the couch, the tracks have – nevertheless – enough soul and intelligence to warm even the most morose Eeyore in a field full of thistles. And despite the fact that the band seem to be on a “state of the world today” trip, (as seen with Nature Noir and World’s Gone Weird) there’s this ridiculously reassuring sense of calm about the whole thing, even when it gets skippy. The opening two tracks, Spirit In Front Of Me and Star Crawl seem happy to be stuck in 1st gear, and like Roky, they’re in danger of getting arrested for driving at 0mph in a residential area. They’re just so great, plodding along, ruminating on matters high and low, proving that dinosaurs are, indeed, getting better.
Things get groovy now and again, but never too much to cause discomfort. Sticks and Stones is a gentle strum given some warmth and backbone with some nice keys. Darken the Door is some weird, Valley of the Dolls style skip, and Future Folklore is a lovely Velvetsy groove, with a bit of Run Run Run guitar chucked in for good measure. We get more of this Jalopy-powered psychedelia with Electrons Rising which shimmers and radiates in its own feedback. Memory Room by way of contrast, is a sort of distorted folksy track, with a really ghostly feel to it, probably courtesy of those weeping strings. It’s marvellous. Last up we have Phases Forever, which pretty much does what it promises.
Lay down thy xbox and groove!