Chris Goss and his Masters Of Reality created one of my favorite records of all time, number six actually, with the 1989 Rich Rubin produced self-titled debut, aka The Blue Garden. That record is perfect.
I am a huge fan of all of the Masters records however, from the Ginger Baker on drums weird and quaint Sunrise On The Sufferbus, to the trippy Welcome To The Western Lodge, to the more rocking Pine/Cross Dover, all six of their albums are spun on the regular by me.
Goss is a desert rock OG and one of the most important musicians in the scene, ever. You can hear his influence and work across the entire desert/stoner genre. So, yeah, I am pretty happy about a new Masters Of Reality record after a 16-year wait.
Aptly titled The Archer, this record is hit or miss, but hit or miss for a Masters Of Reality record, so This Archer is pretty much on target, just not the bullseye of some of his other work.
The record starts out as a total slow burn, with the title track kicking that vibe off. This is a sparce and trippy track, lead by Goss’s trademarked vocals, which sound just a tiny bit weathered, but great nonetheless, and encapsulates you in the new world this Masters outing has created.
The record starts out as a total slow burn, with the title track kicking that vibe off. This is a sparce and trippy track, lead by Goss’s trademarked vocals, which sound just a tiny bit weathered, but great nonetheless, and encapsulates you in the new world this Masters outing has created.
The pace is picked up by I Had A Dream, led by a fun little bassline from Paul Powell and a weirdness from which you can hear the influence of the returning Alain Johannes, this one picks up the pace a bit around some weird guitar work and Goss doing his best Neil Young impersonation.
The slow burn returns on Chicken Little, which sounds like something out of Twin Peaks, like from one of the weirder scenes. The synths add a ton of atmosphere to this one, continuing the one long trip feel of The Archer. Mr. Tap n’ Go is classic MOR, with Goss doing his thing with his vocal melodies and incorporating some soaring guitars and super cool riffs.
This is the song where you 100 percent know this is a Masters Of Reality record. Barstow is one of the more obviously personal Masters songs, and also the track when you realize this is not going to be a record you can say rocks, but one that you can say floats.
This is confirmed with the next track, Sugar, that has a Stone Temple Pilots feel (one of the slower and trippier ones), which makes sense given his work with the band in the past. Powder Man is more Beatles than anything else, with Goss and his acoustic around trippy synths wandering around whatever desert he lives near now looking for the man.
My favorite track on The Archer is It All Comes Back To You. Sounding like a later period Masters track and leveraging Johannes in all of his glory, this is the song I have been looking for on album number seven. Bible Head is both funky and trippy, leveraging some of his Beatles love, giving the last two tracks of The Archer an excellent one-two punch to close it out.
No record will ever be the Master Of Reality debut, and there will never be an artist like Chris Goss, so the fact that we have a new record is a gift no matter what. I have a feeling The Archer will be a slow burn just like many of its songs, where I find myself at the end of the year having listened to it more than anything else, but for now, be happy we have a new Master Of Reality record, in all of its trippy weirdness and Chris Goss genius. 8/10
Komatsu - A Breakfast For Champions (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Rich Piva]
Komatsu, from Eindhoven, Netherlands, is here to rock, and boy do they on their fifth record, A Breakfast For Champions. This record is chock filled with eight rippers sure to get you ready for your day, or for your night, or for whenever you want to tear some shit up.
You can throw all the big stoner rock band names out there to compare Komatsu too, but why bother when these guys kick so much ass on their own. You know this is going to rule right with the opening title track that rocks and has a little breakdown part where the riff destroys you. Savage is just that, almost sounding like one of the more rocking Masters Of Reality tracks but heavier as the guitar work and the harmonized vocals will blow you away.
No record will ever be the Master Of Reality debut, and there will never be an artist like Chris Goss, so the fact that we have a new record is a gift no matter what. I have a feeling The Archer will be a slow burn just like many of its songs, where I find myself at the end of the year having listened to it more than anything else, but for now, be happy we have a new Master Of Reality record, in all of its trippy weirdness and Chris Goss genius. 8/10
Komatsu - A Breakfast For Champions (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Rich Piva]
Komatsu, from Eindhoven, Netherlands, is here to rock, and boy do they on their fifth record, A Breakfast For Champions. This record is chock filled with eight rippers sure to get you ready for your day, or for your night, or for whenever you want to tear some shit up.
You can throw all the big stoner rock band names out there to compare Komatsu too, but why bother when these guys kick so much ass on their own. You know this is going to rule right with the opening title track that rocks and has a little breakdown part where the riff destroys you. Savage is just that, almost sounding like one of the more rocking Masters Of Reality tracks but heavier as the guitar work and the harmonized vocals will blow you away.
The production on this record is spot on, not too clean but perfect for the band’s sound. The drum work is fantastic too. I love how the vocals stand alone to start on The Devil's Cut, right before the riff comes in to crush you This one brings a bit of sludge to the party, in quite the filthy way too.
Release The Flies almost sounds like it goes with their last track, which is a compliment to the band’s song sequencing, and leverages some seriously cool soft to loud dynamics and shows how melodic Komatsu can be to go along with all of there ass kicking. Fatcamp Workout gives some of those with a few extra pounds a soundtrack to shed them, as this one is a frantic instrumental that sounds like Therapy? on crack.
From frantic to controlled, the slow burn of What Lies Underneath is perfectly placed, and reminds me a bit of Mastodon during some of their slower moments. You are right back to ripping it up, Kyuss style, on Welcome To The Underworld, in all of its riff-filled, sludgy glory, while the closer, Climb The Vines, has killer guitar work and doubles down on the drumming prowess, closing the record out as it began, ripping the place up.
I love the new Komatsu record. The sound, the sequencing, the riffs, the overall vibe, A Breakfast For Champions makes the band’s fifth album their best, most comprehensive, and fully realized yet. 9/10
Taraban - Oath EP (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
Krakow trio Taraban started life as a garage/psych rock band, they have had two EP's and a debut record in 2019, their rugged fuzzy riffs a clarion call like the drum they are named after. With a gap in proceedings they return in 2025 with a new EP that points at a new direction.
This is chopper riding rock n roll, Hammond Organs, Wurlitzers and synths come from drummer Kris Gonda maintaining the psych roots while shifting towards the dinosaur rock of Deep Purple, a unifying call to arms for rock fans who like their rock with a classic edge.
Kris' drums keeps the beat for the moody Roxxxane as Daniel Suder's bass grooves along on Die In Peace, Daniel Kesler's guitar strutting on the Eighties-tastic Country Song. It's all done well but it didn't resonate with me much I'm afraid. 6/10
Gallus - Cool To Drive (Marshall Records) [Matt Bladen]
Satirical, sneering indie punk Gallus are a Scottish band who play music that is raw and full of energy, trying to capture their incendiary live performance on record. It follows the bands debut album with 5 new snotty punk tracks that are shouting vocals and biting guitar riffs.
There's no lack of energy and live they're probably chaotic and wild but the whole indie/punk thing sort of flew over my head and while I realise that it's immensely popular (just look at Idles or Soft Play) and Gallus will find more fans with this new release, it's still way over my head. 5/10
I love the new Komatsu record. The sound, the sequencing, the riffs, the overall vibe, A Breakfast For Champions makes the band’s fifth album their best, most comprehensive, and fully realized yet. 9/10
Taraban - Oath EP (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
Krakow trio Taraban started life as a garage/psych rock band, they have had two EP's and a debut record in 2019, their rugged fuzzy riffs a clarion call like the drum they are named after. With a gap in proceedings they return in 2025 with a new EP that points at a new direction.
This is chopper riding rock n roll, Hammond Organs, Wurlitzers and synths come from drummer Kris Gonda maintaining the psych roots while shifting towards the dinosaur rock of Deep Purple, a unifying call to arms for rock fans who like their rock with a classic edge.
Kris' drums keeps the beat for the moody Roxxxane as Daniel Suder's bass grooves along on Die In Peace, Daniel Kesler's guitar strutting on the Eighties-tastic Country Song. It's all done well but it didn't resonate with me much I'm afraid. 6/10
Gallus - Cool To Drive (Marshall Records) [Matt Bladen]
Satirical, sneering indie punk Gallus are a Scottish band who play music that is raw and full of energy, trying to capture their incendiary live performance on record. It follows the bands debut album with 5 new snotty punk tracks that are shouting vocals and biting guitar riffs.
There's no lack of energy and live they're probably chaotic and wild but the whole indie/punk thing sort of flew over my head and while I realise that it's immensely popular (just look at Idles or Soft Play) and Gallus will find more fans with this new release, it's still way over my head. 5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment