Following a release of a handful of digital onIy singles released throughout 2013, Wax Fang pull out all the stops on this full-length offering – five tracks, forty-plus minutes and the disastrous tale of “an astronaut separated from his craft and swallowed by a black hole”. In the hands of some, a concept album can be fabulous, in others, it’s the worst kind of self-indulgence not far from career suicide. Thankfully, for Wax Fang, ‘The Astronaut’ and its grand scale works well, the directness of parts of their music overshadowing most of the potential for grandiose meandering. This sprawling opus has one main aim: to grab the listener and sonically melt them with the push and pull between hard rock grooves and sonic textres. Various influences drift in and out – from Hawkwind, Muse, tiny nods to Mars Volta, ambient, Krautrock and touches of stoner – though none ever quite take a dominant hold, meaning Wax Fang’s odd menagerie of noise-making isn’t always too predictable.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
FUNKYJENN – Rock ‘N’ Roll Voodoo Queen
You know what they say – if you don’t want your music to date, make music with an old heart. It’s a game plan that’s stood The Black Crowes in good stead for many a fine record; nor does it hurt so many blues-rock bands out there whose work draws its main thrust from The Stones and The Faces, circa 1971. For blues and bar-room rock, that seems to be the point where everything stops…and miraculously rarely sounds dated and oft retains a vigour that sits at the heart of so much great good-time r ‘n’ r. Jenn’s sound is made of such classic stuff: each of its elements instantly familiar, warming and welcoming – and ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Voodoo Queen’ all the better for it.
BUTCHERS OF SKY VALLEY – Butchers Of Sky Valley
In a case of artwork capturing the spirit of an album, The Butchers of Sky Valley’s debut release hits its target square on. Nothing says seventies fuzz better than a monochrome photo of a woman looking like she’s posing for an Atomic Bitchwax release. However, if you’re approaching this album expecting a straight-up rehash of Bitchwax, Kyuss or Brandt Bjork sounds, you’re likely to be disappointed at first. Yes, there are tracks that blatantly wear their Kyuss-love on their sleeves for all to hear – more of which later – but at first, this New York band’s sound brings more of a fuzzy late 60s trip than a 70s doom-laden meander.
HOUSE OF LORDS – Precious Metal
House of Lords’ self-titled debut from 1989 is somewhat of a melodic rock cult classic. The combination of Chuck Wright’s meaty bass work, Lanny Cordolla’s nifty-yet-melodic guitar shredding, Greg Giuffria’s bombastic keyboards and James Christian’s commanding vocals pull together excellently – like listening to a melodic rock supergroup, even though the original project was never conceived as such. Line-up changes for each of their subsequent recordings (1990’s ‘Sahara’ and 1992’s overlooked ‘Demons Down’) meant that the magic was never quite captured in the same way again, but these, nevertheless are enjoyable offerings.
SHOOT THE CRICKET – Life Has Taught Me EP
Shoot The Cricket seems an odd name to give a recording project. Kind of distinctive, yet not especially good, it’s the kind of band name where you’d have to wonder which names were considered inferior… Regardless, it’s the music that’s important – and on this 2013 EP ‘Life Has Taught Me’, the duo (comprising sisters Jeje and Lesal Bognar) serve up some intermittently enjoyable piano-based pop.