A lot of musicians talk about creating music that transcends genre classifications. Some even succeed in that aim—at least inasmuch as it makes the listener scratch their head and say, “what the hell is this?” But most of the time, their ambition far outpaces the output. I’ve heard my fair share of would-be genre-transcenders end up release music that failed to sound interesting, or even good, their desire for originality seemingly overriding any concern for quality.
Reading through the press release for London psych-rockers Desert Clouds’ new album Planexit (I guess Brexit didn’t go far enough for these guys), I suspected I might be in for the same sort of eye-roll-inducing, substanceless album so concerned with defying conventions that they fail to offer anything worthwhile (the line “Drawing from all genres and influences” was particularly suspect). They tout a mixture of 60s psychedelic and 90s grunge, namedropping Barret-era Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, and even Tool—a veritable who’s who of bands that even the most boring bar band would list as influences. I didn’t expect Desert Clouds to be much better.
Luckily, I was wrong. Planexit is a rollicking piece of rock and roll that manages to hit hard even at its most navel-gazing.
Right out the gate, Desert Clouds punch you in the guy with heavy riffs that seem tailor-made for speeding down the highway. Warped lead guitar soars over chunky chords. Bass guitar runs up the fretboard while the drums drive the song forward like a pair of oxen at full gallop. At times, it flirts with Black Sabbath-style doom. Many of the songs are the longer side, veering off into meandering psych-rock territory. Even at full steam though, there’s plenty of space to these songs, always keeping one foot in Desert Rock territory.
Despite the band’s British nationality, the vocals sound like they were ripped right of 90s Seattle, utilizing the same affectation of bands like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden (oddly, not Nirvana, the one grunge band they mentioned by name). He does, for the most part, avoid too much of the clenched-jaw growl and howl that can take a band from grunge to butt rock. The combination of the psych rock instrumentation and grunge vocals land pretty near Kyuss, which won’t get any complaints from me.
There’s plenty of psychedelic noodling to go around, but the biggest thing Planexit has going for it is that the band never forgets to have fun. They’re certainly reaching for the stars here, but they never get caught up in their own ambition. They spend the disc in sonic exploration, but they never feel lost. And when they’re offering up headbang-worthy tracks like “Staring At the Midnight Sun,” “Deceivers,” and “Speed of Shadow,” who can complain?
0 Comments