
If you're wondering where I've been, let me tell you: I've been busy uploading this beast of a song for the last month of so. Well, not really, but you get what I'm saying. Only about 15 seconds short of being the longest song ever featured on Robosexual, this stoner-rock/psychedelia freakout is one of two 20-minute-plus instrumentals on Earthless' excellent album. It's a little daunting, but the music is just too awesome for you to be worrying about song lengths.
These guys (based in San Diego, I believe) have obviously got this whole psych-rock thing figured out. The mixing is great, and the drums and bass compete at just the right level with the ever-present guitar, which is apparently being wielded by some sort of musical Lance Armstrong who's able to maintain a level of solo intensity for 20 minutes that most bands only attempt for 30 seconds at a time.
Don't worry, I know what you're thinking. I thought it too. "This sounds a little exhausting. Don't you get tired of it after 7 or 8 minutes?" The answer is, well, no. I thought I would, but the hits keep coming and the songs keep mutating enough to hold your attention and in fact make you want more. "Godspeed" is like what would happen if you spiked Van Halen's pre-show snack with crystal meth. The guitar is chunky and hairy and the riffs are epic and dated. "Sonic Prayer" is more of a suite, complete with a drum-only section that reminds me of Psychic Ills' "I Knew My Name," complete with a total blowout at the end.
I'm not going to kid around here and say this is for everybody. But you should listen to this song all the way through once before deciding you're too weak for this sauce. This is one of the standout albums of this year along with the Psychic Paramount's release, and you need it in order to know the state of the rocking out union.
Here's "Sonic Prayer" by Earthless. Careful, it's 33 megabytes.
A great tripping experience indeed!
Posted by: Martin | 2008.02.01 at 02:58 PM
I need you to come and write for me. Puleeze?!
Posted by: Music Critic | 2008.03.11 at 09:03 PM
good stuff. thanks for the links,
Posted by: Susan | 2008.03.24 at 01:02 PM
Hey- though you might enjoy this. Please take a chance to listen and let me know if you would be intrested in reviewing it!
Happy listening,
Jess
ANDY MULLEN: THE TOENAIL JAR
Is He Folk Music’s New Bad Boy?
“Andy Mullen sports the rich baritone of Crash Test Dummies' Brad Roberts and a sense of humor somewhere between Bob Newhart and a classic cast of Saturday Night Live. “
_ Performing Songwriter
Andy Mullen plays music that he describes as, “folk fusion,” but don’t get the wrong idea, there is nothing sedate or staid about it. Rather, his music bursts out of the speakers in a stream of imagery and sound, and Mullen’s command of his craft is so palpable that in listening, one immediately knows they are hearing an artist with his own unique vision of life and music.
His new self-produced album, The Toenail Jar, downloadable for free at his site www.andymullenmusic.com, showcases the NYC based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist coming of age both as a musician and as a person in a multitude of ways.
His clever lyrics will instantly grab your attention, but behind the humor is a man with a fierce intelligence and the soul of a poet. His ability to fashion the insane beauty and unexpected heartache of everyday life into short, well-crafted songs with catchy melodies and sharply etched image is remarkable.” _PlanetOut.com
Featuring his exceptional finger-picking style on guitar, the songs’ arrangements are uncommonly skillful, with light and subtle touches, like the fiddle and djembe on “Sun Goes Up, Sun Goes Down,” and the galloping banjo on “Quit Quittin’,” all which inspire a quiet sense of joy and wonder.
The utterly moving “So Does The Beer” tells the story of the death of his father, who died while he recorded the album. The song is an affectingly wry observation on love and loss; his vocals perfectly convey the balance of sadness and acceptance, while never succumbing to excessive sentimentality.
“Simple and stunning acoustic folk.” _Hybrid
But the album is also a showcase for Mullen’s wry and subtly wicked sense of humor, befitting an artist who calls himself “Folk Music’s New Bad Boy.” “Crooked Deck” inspires a multitude of smiles, in his description of himself as a man in possession of only, “The same rhyme all the time/Smokes and jokes and a dozen lines/They say that all I ever sing about is booze.” It’s ironic without being at all jaded, and in that, it is utterly invigorating.
For more information on Andy Mullen, contact:
Jess Haviland
PAI Media Ink
212.206.1598
jess@paimedia.com
Download The Toenail Jar at: www.andymullenmusic.com
Posted by: Jess | 2008.07.22 at 09:38 AM