Keep It Strange

Debut album from Chicago-based heavy-psych group. Distorted and massive. As a Tucson native I can totally imagine listening to this while driving along some dusty abandoned highway. If you like or have even heard of any of the groups below then this should be up your alley. Favorites: 2, 3, 6, 7, 8. No FCCs.

Similar artists/releases: Hookworms “Pearl Mystic”, Akron/Family, Wooden Shjips, Lumerians “The High Frontier”, a not so tame Tame Impala, Moon Duo, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats

1. (7:28) * Pulsing guitar feedback with some distant drums that turn into a more prominent beat. Druggy. Takes almost 4:00 for a real riff and vocals to come in but well worth the wait. Mid-tempo grand-scale opener
2. (4:03) *** Classic, bluesy guitar accented by reverb-laden vocals. Turns more jammy and psychedelic midway through.
3. (3:37) * Mid. Begins with heavy, plodding, drums. A lot more spacious like the first track.
4. (4:23) Starts right off the bat with a killer riff that recurs throughout the track. Last minute plays around with some heavily treated guitar
5. (4:03) * Anxious guitars before turning into a more jazzy groove. Super space/stoner rock vibe with lyrics about the passage of time.
6. (6:21) ** Opens with ambient, pulsating textures before some colossal drums come in with a noisy riff. Cool transition to a, dare I say, pretty guitar melody before returning to the epic distortion. Great ethereal background vocals. Panoramic before fading out into ambience for the last ~30 seconds
7. (4:36) * Stark bass guitar and reverby vocals. Slow, and then unexpectedly fast and energetic. Alternates between these two moods. Ends fairly abruptly.
8. (5:30) *** Great great drum beat beneath some beautifully haunting guitars. Gets noisy and unhinged. Ebbs into silence. Awesome closer.
Reviewed by Muscat