REVIEW: SPRIGHTLY MOANS - DEMOS II

So, a sprightly moan sounds pretty sensual to me. “Moan” is one of those words that I immediately attribute to a sexual act, even though most of its supposed synonyms refer to vocal exclamations of pain or sadness. That might reveal excessive information regarding my coital preferences.

Sprightly Moans are a rock duo based in Austin, TX, where the motto “Keep Austin Weird” adorns countless T-shirts and the bustling music scene encourages experimentation. Sprightly Moans keep their sound based in the harder realms of garage rock, with Jeff Olson’s drums invoking the frantic percussive work of vintage James Gang or Bill Ward’s work with Black Sabbath. Carving out their own grungy, modern take on psychedelic hard rock, they explore the wilderness between chaotic power and gentle melody, falling somewhere between bands like The Golden Grass and Gozu. Sprightly Moans play music for beer drinking, high-fiving, and billiard disputes, capturing the raucous spirit of a bar at last call, with rhythms that roll with tumbleweed abandon and riffs that can punch holes through sheet metal. On Demos II, their sold-out limited edition follow up to the predictably titled Demos I, the duo share three tracks of amplified rebellion.

“Brinkmanship” kicks off the jam and bangs heads with heavy blues and Dave Wirth’s high-register slide guitar. The thundering drums provide a deliberate, swaggering tempo that feels like the epitome of cool-handed confidence. Although it’s a noisy, jagged musical arrangement, the song sports a smooth vocal hook, although the vocal volume does seem a bit high in the mix during the verses. “Twin Kilns” rocks loudly, with vocals that sway in a jet-stream breeze over the pulsing guitars and drums, reminding me of Canned Heat covering Mudhoney. The song has a tasty crunch to it, and seems in danger of derailing at any moment, providing a sense of danger before Olson and Wirth takes the reins back. I love music that teeters on the cliff ledge and regains composure, and this song dances on that precipice like it could perch their happily for years. “Dots and Dashes” rollicks with Pearl Jam’s Ten intensity, if their songs were crusted with bong resin and desert dust. It’s the best performance of the album and makes me eager to hear more from these trouble-makers.

Three songs may feel like an appetizer here, but I’m confident they’ll lead to an upcoming entree that should have fans of classic rock, heavy blues, and Slint-flavored noise to salivate. Give Demos II a listen over here, and enjoy Sprightly Moans bringing the volume and the groove:  http://www.sprightlymoans.com/music/

And join their Facebook family over at:  https://www.facebook.com/sprightlymoans

REVIEW: UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS - MIND CONTROL

A few minutes into Mind Control and I’ve already slipped into that dreaded Wikipedia sinkhole, descending deeper into Gnostic texts, Mojave geography, and the Beach Boys discography. There’s just no telling how weird things can get when Charles Manson is one of the major influences of a band’s music. All I know is that when Uncle Acid sings, “Don’t you worry baby, you’re safe with me,” I don’t believe that mularkey for a second.

There’s a fuzzy, retro sense of danger and sleaze on the latest album from Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, a phenomenal band from Cambridge, UK. It harkens back to memories of drive-in theaters and grindhouse cinema, pulpy horror comics and psychedelic serial killers. This is the album Ghost B.C. should wish they released in 2013, full of melody and just a touch of technicolor menace. The songs expertly walk that line between charming camp and genuine creepiness while slugging out crunchy hooks from amplifiers stacked in a swirl of cemetery fog and hookah smoke. “Mind Crawler” and “Poison Apple” rumble with mid-tempo swagger and bad boy sex appeal, while “Evil Love” feels like the James Gang started wearing black capes and playing Deep Purple songs. “Death Valley Blues” finds the middle ground The Beatles left vacant between “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” and “Strawberry Fields,” brimming with deceptive harmonies and metallic blues.

While “Follow the Leader” drones on a bit long for my liking, this is a brilliant 70s throwback track and is that song that every band made while experimenting with the grooviest ‘shrooms they grew out in their secret gardens. “Valley of the Dolls” can’t hold a black candle to “Mt. Abraxus” or “Desert Ceremony“ earlier on the album, but its mediocrity is snuffed from memory immediately by closing track “Devil’s Work,” which stomps, swoons, and grooves to lure the listener into a trance before soaking them in the low hum of an ominous organ note befitting one of Dario Argento’s giallos. This is an album that takes an LSD chaser with every shot of whiskey and takes castle dungeon tours while stoned on its lunch break. I know, I’m anthropomorphizing this album quite a bit, but I seriously want to have a beer with it. I just wouldn’t leave my drink unattended, as I might later wake, strapped down to a concrete coffin, surrounded by women with forehead tattoos and janbiya daggers. Still, inspiring their next song might almost be worth it.

Check out Mind Control on Spotify and visit the band’s website here:  http://acidcoven.com/

And head over to Rise Above Records to keep an eye on the band’s merch, which has been selling like hotcakes. Unless hotcakes don’t sell well in your region, then it’s not like that at all:  http://www.riseaboverecords.com/products/view/364