Words by Andrew Ryan Fetter
Andrew Fetter has been writing about music for over the last decade and playing in bands for even longer. His latest endeavor was the radio hour, The Noise Kaleidoscope which aired on 99.1FM WQRT in Indianapolis (now on hiatus – past episodes are archived online). On it he covers his personal collection and influences of psych rock from over the last half century, starting with early influences and reaching to its modern incarnations.
So, here we are. 2019’s self-titled release from The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Since we covered the two most recent albums in previous columns, I can say this album brings our dive to a close (you can read my thoughts on those albums here and here), and we’ll be sure to circle back around once new albums surface (as I’m sure they will). Full disclosure, I’ve been waiting for this one. Not because it’s the end, but this is probably my favorite record by the band. From the opening acoustic strums of “Drained” to the melancholy vibe of “We Never Had A Chance” (which incidentally has one of my favorite lines: “The motherfuckers never stop drilling holes in your head”), it’s about as perfect as it gets and is the best note we can wrap up on in this exploration.
Once the brief intro to Triptides’ latest release, Starlight (Curation), the band dives into another great collection of loungey psych-pop. “Unwound”, the album’s proper opener, showcases frontman Glenn Brigman’s love of all things keyboard-driven. “Latitudes” follows up with a wonderful, hazy disco vibe that Tame Impala could only dream of imitating. The star of the show is truly Brigman’s voice. The way he guides the dreamy melodies and harmonies is unrivaled. The band has truly been on a hot streak the last few years and they seem to show no signs of breaking that trend.
After Zoon released their 2020 album Bleached Waves, it was apparent that they were on to something truly special. Bekka Ma’iingan (Paper Bag) – pronounced “Bay-ka Mo-Een-Gan” – further explores a dream-pop path blended with Daniel Monkman’s discovery of their own identity (both as an indigenous person, as well as a non-binary person). Musically the album is just beautiful. The layers of sounds compliment each other and also speak their own individual voices. But the underlying themes are what really make this album shine brightly. “Niizh Manidoowig (2 Spirit)”, is a perfect centerpiece to the record. An instrumental piece (featuring the one and only Lee Ranaldo) it conveys that struggle and the importance of retaining one’s humanity. Focusing on one’s own safety and well-being in a time where marginalization and colonialism is still pervasive in many forms, this is an important album for this time.
Harnessing energy from the great gods of 70s stoner rock, Kanaan brings an interesting blues/jazz spin while still keeping it thick and sludgy. The title track of their instrumental album Downpour (Jansen Records) captures a perfect snapshot of what they’re creating. “Orbit” is one of the coolest trips you can go on, with swirling guitars, space-age sound effects, and crazy jazzy beats from a drummer that you would think has more than 2 arms. While at times veering into prog territory, Downpour still works at keeping things simple, just not plain or boring. The album’s closer “Solaris” is broken into two parts. The first part is has a nice slow and steady build that soars and lands in all the right places, setting up the second half as a nearly metal sounding epic that still vibes nicely. You’ll be ready for more.
Imagine my excitement when I find out that Zambian legends W.I.T.C.H. (We Intend To Cause Havoc) were not only coming to my town, but also have a new album out (on Desert Daze / Partisan Records), and without giving too much away, it’s great. So great that we’ll be going through their body of work (as well as exploring the recently released documentary of the band) starting with next month’s column. Hope you’ll join us on that journey.