When Black Pussy decided
to open this album with a track called “Let's Start A War”, I'm sure they had
no idea how prophetic it would be.I'm
also sure they had no intention of starting a war of ideas, but that is
certainly what has happened since the album was released.If you're not aware, as the band has become
more popular they have drawn the ire of feminists, mainly because they are a
group of white men in a band called Black Pussy.Most of the outrage has been based upon
assumptions that have been made about the band and band name, but a blog was
written about them, which was picked up by other blogs, and has now grown to
the point where there is an anti-band page on Facebook. Lately people have
taken to posting about the band on social media with such cheery thoughts as “I
hope your van crashes off of a bridge”, and other such sentiments.
I could get really political here, but that is not the point of what we do at The Ripple Effect.I will say, however, that this just highlights the hypocrisy of political correctness and holds a mirror up to our society to show a very sad reflection of certain groups.When it is politically correct to wish death upon a group of musicians, there is something very wrong here.
I can tell you that this is a fantastic album and if you are a fan of stoner rock you should pick this one up, if you haven't already.There is a tasty swirl of cosmic, psychedelic grooviness baked into every track.This is a band that works hard, tours constantly and takes their music seriously.There is such improvement in the playing and songwriting over their previous release that it is mind blowing.Cheers to these guys for doing their thing in the face of all that has gone on this year.
The music on this album is really well done.All of the songs are on the tuneful side of the stoner rock.“For The Sake Of Argument” even has a little poppiness to it, if pop music were good and inventive instead of the dreck we have these days that passes for Top 40.Each song has a melody that will get stuck in your head and you'll find yourself humming along or just humming the tune while you go about your daily routine.A good test of an album for me is how well it holds up on repeated listens, and I don't mean just popping it into the CD player once in a while.If you can put it in your car CD player, and drive around for 4 or 5 days listening to nothing else, and you still dig it, then you've got a great release on your hands.“Magic Mustache” passes that test with flying colors.
“Lion's Breath” is another song that really sticks with me.There's a very hooky riff, very simple but very good, that kicks things off and stays with you throughout the song, just a good, catchy tune that you don't always get in this genre.“Into Your Cosmic” is another one that really does it for me.In a different world, this is the music you would hear on your pop radio station.We could call it stoner pop, music that is dank and fuzzy but still catchy.
Let me just close with this.If you've never heard this band before, check out this album.Catch them live in your town.They tour constantly so it shouldn't be long before they are in your neck of the woods.Mostly, don't believe all the crap you might hear about them.See and listen and judge for yourself.That's the way it should be.
- ODIN
