Words by Jonathan Stout
When not doing freelance writing, Jonathan Stout is heavily involved in the NKY and Cincinnati music scenes as the Marketing Manager for Kentucky based venue The Southgate House Revival and founder of DIY Recording label Lo Fi City Recordings. He’s also an active musician, performing and recording with Sleepy Drums, Mutt Fuzz, Burnt Cabins and gewgaw.
The Claypool Lennon Delirium return on May 1 with their first offering in six years, The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy (ATO Records). The work recalls the early psychedelic era of prog rock (Yes, King Crimson, Capt. Beyond) that was based more on heady, hard rocking exploration than the overblown, self-indulgent execution plaguing modern prog. An expansive, multi-disc experience, this collection offers unique compositions that jump between nuances of dungeon synth, syncopated upstrokes, melodic indie rock and more. My personal favorite of Claypool’s current projects, the Delirium allows him the ability to really stretch out and truly exemplify his breadth of capacity on the bass. Even though his work in Primus is iconically unique, it relies primarily on his heavy thump approach, whereas he lends much more melody and exploratory fretwork in The Claypool Lennon Delirium. Even though his bass still noticeably anchors these compositions, it’s not so much a lead instrument as in Primus or his solo work, and it’s interesting to hear him ease back a little – not demanding attention but richly serving the composition. That’s not to say that signature Claypool riffs aren’t still in effect here – like the particularly funky “The Golden Egg of Empathy”(featuring WILLOW!) – for those of you still craving that definitive sound. Of course, Claypool is not the only talent involved here, as Lennon more than holds his own on guitar, filling spaces with warm toned, confident and thick solos. His vocal approach – quite different from Claypools’ – also offers a refreshing balance and variety. One of the most evident things is that the members involved don’t treat this like a phoned-in side project. There’s clearly a lot of attention to detail and craft, from instrument tone to careful mixing and mastering – everything sounds very deliberate and purposeful.
Doom psych legends Witchcraft have returned with A Sinner’s Child (Heavy Psych Sounds) and I didn’t realize how much I needed their specific brand of mournful heaviness back in my life. Filled with riffs that slowly drip like molasses in front of reverb soaked drums that sound like they were recorded in an empty warehouse – this release sets a tone for sure and stays true to it during its running time. But it’s not all loud and doomy! This brief collection explores some diverse vibes. Haunting, acoustic balladry is offered with “Even Darker Days” and and a loungy, surf nuance is explored on title track “A Sinner’s Child” and “Sinner’s Clear Confusion”. It’s too bad that this release is only five tracks, but coming less than a year after their long awaited previous release, Idag perhaps this signals a prolific era for the band, bringing forth more fresh content in the near future – which would be a very good thing!
Moody, atmospheric giants Failure return on April 24 with Location Lost (Arduous Records). This is their fourth release since improbably reuniting in 2014 after a 17-year-hiatus. With a history of inner turmoil, addiction and separation (there’s a whole documentary about it!) this is a band that means a great deal to a lot of people but is still obscure to even more. Which is really a shame, because if Location Lost proves anything it’s that this band has still got all of the goods – from inspired compositions, to well-honed execution, filled with thunderous rhythm and psychedelic textures throughout. Though it’s hard to align this band’s sound with any others, vocalist/songwriter Kevin Andrews voice often bears vague similarities to the mellow, direct and ominous nature of Jerry Cantrell, and the compositions of Location Lost should appeal greatly to fans of Alice in Chains’ later work (particularly the doomy Rainier Fog). Born out of weeks improvising and recording together, this release proves to be a bit more expansive than before. Created following a perilous back surgery endured by Andrews, the rhythm section of Greg Edwards and Kelli Scott stepped up to help sift through the hours of recorded material to bring a decisive focus. After returning to his home studio with the instrumental recordings, Andrew’s lyrical drought was quickly filled by an unexpected wellspring of inspiration. In result, there ends up being simpler, more driving songs than the band usually favors, two ballads and moments that feel almost willfully alien. Location Lost is likely an album that will pull pre-existing fans in deeper and has the capacity of engaging new listeners, as a maturity and rejuvenated inspiration can be felt throughout all of these recordings. Even though there is a certain rainy melancholy here, the listener still ends up leaving the experience more focused on the subtle reassuring confidence the band seems to project now.
I’d feel remiss to let this edition go by without mentioning the release of Vol. II by Angine De Poitrine, even though you’re probably already well aware of it! And if you’re not aware of it – where have you been? Ever since their Live at KEXP session went live last December, the internet has been ablaze with raving interest for these bizarre, costumed, microtonal wizards. With everyone from Dave Grohl to Mark Portnoy expressing admiration, Vol. II quickly became one of the most highly anticipated releases of our still young year. The results certainly don’t disappoint with six new instrumental compositions, bursting at the seams with inspiration – frantically blending prog, thrash, funk, psych, Tuareg, punk and damn near anything they can cram into a 4-6 min run time. Even though they absolutely have a fresh approach, there are enough familiar sonic callbacks to make this appeal to fans of Primus, Osees, King Gizzard, Mdou Moctar, and well… rock music fans in general! There’s a lot to absorb here and our only criticism is that it could be a lot longer! Oh well, keep the people hungry. I get it.
Further Listening Recomendations:
Ulrika Spacek– Expo
Tinariwen- Hoggar (Wedge)
Ty Segall & The Muggers- “Live” “At” “The” “BBC” (Drag City)