This is an excellent day, indeed. My favourite surf-spaghetti western punks, High Noon Kahuna are back with their second full-length, 'This Place Is Haunted'. Step by step from their self-titled EP through album numero uno, 'Killing Spree' to this new brilliant creation, High Noon Kahuna show they are an epitome of the highest order. And they constantly evolve for the better with each release and have subsequently created a sphere all of their own. This is evident beyond words on 'This Place Is Haunted' although changes are afoot.
A gradual build-up brings life to opener 'Atomic Sunset'. Sinister and lurking is brings the curtain call to our world and the dawn to a new dark age. Controlled chaos, and then some. 'Lamborghini' is full throttle from the start and as much pedal to the metal High Noon Kahuna has ever been. Instrumental brilliance, indeed! Then on comes 'Prehistoric Love Letter'. Power-pop punk at it's finest, all in line with Dinosaur Jr and the band absolutely crushes me. Man, only three songs in and I'm floored and can't get up. 'Good Night God Bless' is mid-tempo, crushing and punishing sludge. Intense and uncomfortable in a very good way. It fades out while easing into 'The Devil's Lettuce'. A bluesy backdrop from Paul and Brian while Tim squeezes other-worldly tones from the guitar. Paul's voice is so haunted and tormented which turns High Noon Kahuna's songs upside down and I love it! This is no more evident on 'Brand New Day'. A fairly stripped down creation, kind of trippy with Paul's singing taking it somewhere else...amazing!
'Midnight Moon' is instrumental and pretty straight-forward yet elegantly suggestive and thought-inducing. One of my favourites on the album follows in the shape of 'Sidewalk Assassin'. This composition is hypnotic, intense and in-yer-face coming at you at 200 mph. The band really floors it and rock out hard, good stuff, indeed. 'Mystical Shit' is sinister, trippy and suggestive at first before exploding about halfway through. Cinematic and spaced-out in a David Lynch/ Quentin Tarantino kind of way 'Tumbleweed Nightmare' is mainly mid-tempo but it goes heavy on the drums and bass guitar with the guitar soaring on top of it all. 'Flaming Dagger' slowly and gradually builds up only to mellow out. Very spacey and out there and...absolutely brilliant! And so it was done, dear wave riders. 'Et Ita Factum Est' closes out this wonderful album. It's an intense yet slow but forceful composition and the perfect way to end this masterpiece.
In the first paragraph I mentioned changes were afoot, so what are those changes? Well, it really is one but quite an important, at that. Most of High Noon Kahuna's penchant for surf-rock and spaghetti western sounds is virtually gone. Miniscule remnants are present as the band again showcase their strongest trait, that of never standing still and always evolve. 'This Place Is Haunted' has not changed their core whatsoever, it's still High Noon Kahuna but they have moved on with such ease and elegance. If you love great music regardless what style it is this trio is what you need, and then some. Doesn't get much better than this, people!
-Swedebeast
