Babalon / Mogwai New Material & Singles
Andrew WK and Mogwai release a song and album this week respectively.
Again I’m writing about two artists I have listened to before but struggle to know the depth of their catalog. Andrew WK and Mogwai that is. For some other recent stuff that just released click https://meatsheetfanzine.com/introducing-trztn-royal-dagger-ballet-new-media/ Don’t forget Lazer Beam. In the vein of the best fuzzed out rock with killer hooks. On a side note, one could say Lazer Beam fits the “stoner” rock genre. That term and ” shoegaze ” (even though I like both styles) I find objectionable. Onward.
Andrew WK – Babalon – Napalm Records
Andrew WK releases a song and video called “Babalon” on Napalm Records. This kid is familiar with his early stuff and a few random songs since then.
Andrew Wilkes Krier in my opinion is one of the coolest, most positive guys in music.
When I first heard about the “Party Hard” single off of “I Get Wet” ( 1st major label release) I dismissed it as drivel . Prematurely .. I assumed that there was no substance. Little did I know he had a really strong electronic EP called Party till you Puke” (on Bulb records) which I still love. I retract my bad review from my printed zine so many years ago. AWK may not be for everyone, but he has major talent and seems to be a cool, down to earth guy.
Since “I Get Wet” came out Andrew continues to put out music. I stopped following after his second major release called “The Wolf ” but remained a fan of his other endeavors like his advice column. I have not done a deep dive into his other stuff that happened between this and the Wolf LP but I will say Babalon seems to hold my interest a little more than any random song from The Wolf.
“Babalon” is well written intricately played party (hard) rock that you may expect from this guy. If you don’t know his stuff just picture epic hard rock that could be anthemic. I don’t find it to be anywhere as epic as Accept or Slade but the sensibility is there lurking in the shadows. Those are big shoes to fill. So if you do know his stuff and you happen to be a big fan your chances of liking this song increase exponentially because I think it’s a progression in the right direction for him.
Let’s face it I don’t think he’s going to go into the studio and make something as good as Party Till You Puke EP, in my humble opinion .
Party Til You Puke EP merges anthemic epic rock with electronica but, hey Babalon is not a bad effort. He simply trades the electronica for metal that leans towards black metal. It’s not full on black metal with corpse paint and guys like Varg hanging around. But it borrows from it slightly. In wine terms, very subtle notes of prog and black metal with power rock finish.
The production is crystal clear. The musicianship is very accomplished as Andrew is a prolific musician.
The song writing however .. again I defer to how big of a fan you are of his other stuff. If you really like his stuff he’s already put out this is a logical win for you . If you really don’t like Andrew WK’s music already it is highly likely this might not do the trick for you.
The opening sounds like something he would have picked up with after just finishing I Get Wet. Babalon’s guitar riffs are very heavy metal. Perhaps classic riffage you might hear in 80’s thrash thrown in with the above black metal keyboard influence. The synth might conjure up ghosts of psychedelic and prog & past but if so , it is very subtle. In fact the synth and guitar arpeggios are played masterfully. Keep in mind if you’re into Yes , Emerson Lake and Palmer and more obscure stuff like this you might think this one song doesn’t hold a candle to that and you might be right.
Andrew’s voice is strong. The drumming is tight, the fills hit perfectly. I don’t know if I’d sit around listening to this.
I don’t even know what the fuck I’m talking about at this point. Bottom line, Andrew WK is onto his own own shit and I like him as an artist. Babalon is an acquired taste. We’ll see if there is more from AWK soon. I’m anxious to hear if he’s going to do something outside of his epic rock theme. The video is interesting. It references the occult quite a bit, and partying, of course. Rather than blab on you can watch if you choose. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI8y36733ag
Mogwai – As The Love Continues – Temporary Residence Limited / Rock Action Records
This is Mogwai’s tenth album. I may know 2 – 4 of them at best but I dig what I have heard. At a cursory listen there is quite a bit of melodic droning , track layers, and atmosphere. For ease of labelling , yes it’s probably in the realm of shoegaze. Feels like Hum’s lighter, more keyboard driven cousin.
Mogwai have their sound down very tight and dialed in by now. Although I’ve been away from them I can tell it is them.
It is like a soothing wave of guitar mixed with synth. First, we have “To the Bin My Friend, Tonight We Vacate The Earth”. A quiet start with a subtle throb of a synth bass line mixed with a clean piano tone. So far I’m enchanted. At about 2.5 minutes of the 5 minute song the wave crashes and the track opens up to a sprawling soundscape. It’s quite beautiful, the gazers and indie kids should love it. I do.
Second track is a nice contrast to the opener. “Here We, Here We , Here We Go Forever” offers a steady dance or hip hop inspired beat and some distorted synth waves. It maintains some background atmosphere that you may come to know from Mogwai. However the line between synth and heavily processed guitar can be quite blurry on this so far. “Ritchie Sacramento” and “Dry Fantasy ” are singles that dropped right before the release) “Ritchie Sacramento” is perfect dream rock tunage. I probably favor that over “Dry Fantasy”.
“Ritchie Sacramento” floats along effortlessly. The mix it’s quite enchanting in the sense you can hear the guitars but you could easily get lost in the lush music scape these guys paint.
That is if you de – focus your ears it feels very airy and drift like a helium balloon on a windless day through the air but if you listen deeply you can hear all the parts working together.
“Dry Fantasy” is good. I wouldn’t say it’s great but it could grow on me. It has a Giorgio Moroder esque quality to it. The main driving sound sounds like Moroder keyboards with slight less attack and punch. It is also not disco driven at all, more straightforward than what Moroder writes. For some reason I thought of his music, just my take.
It could be a guitar but the tracks of each song have kind of a synth quality. As a result there is a bit of a shimmer to this track that is quite nice as it progresses.
Since I’ve checked in with Mogwai it’s been awhile and upon hearing these two new songs I don’t think it’s fair for me to take a dump on them as they’ve gotten better.
That is as far as composing and songwriting. I can fairly say this because I’ve been out of the loop long enough for at least three or four of their records.
Next is “Drive The Nail” is another great song. That is if you like the slow tension build that eventually crashes like a tsunami wave.
The minimalistic drum and synth open the track and gradually whip themselves up to a frenzy.
Melodic, precisionly picked arpeggios bridge the gap to the crashing , pummeling wave. It may not be heavy with distortion, it is extremely weighty in delivery.
“Pat Stains” is another song that can captivate me or I could put it on as background noise and it blends in to the task at hand. In other words you can listen deep and hear some crafted nuances in their mix, or you can let the track gently glide and then crash and just take it in casually and take in the general atmosphere. This atmosphere is rhythmically soothing. Subliminally beautiful melodies on this one. Also a ghostly echoing vocal reminiscient of Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter” make this stand out as this LP is primarily instrumental. This matters not, the music holds its own.
“Supposedly We Were Nightmares” stands out with an infectious springy bass and swingy beat. The guitar sustains and rings out carrying the bass line to dizzying heights.
Mogwai, whether liked or not, really show competency for creating their signature sound. They go further into the ether on “It’s What I Want To Do, Mum” .
They drift into the ghostly ether and yet use the guitar, bass and drums to maintain virtual contact with the ground. This song is a perfect closer as it gently slows and fades away. I have skipped a few songs but I doubt you want to hear me go on and on, if so drop a message and I’ll cover them LOL.
As The Love Continues is a damn good LP that falls almost directly in the middle of heaviness and easy listening. Perhaps I should say it weaves airy dream rock and heaviness together with a thread that is barely visible. I don’t like the term post rock, or perhaps I don’t really know what that encompasses in music critic geek speak, but if this LP is post rock, it is like artisan hand made quality. If 2020 has Hum’s Inlet, so far Mogwai has achieved similar goal with As The Love Continues in 2021.
Lazer Beam – Sno Burn – single and video – LCF Records
Local stoner groove act Lazer Beam drops consistent songs which will be releasing on a full length Lp in April. Fans of Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age, and lesser known acts from the former Man’s Ruin label bands may want to take note. Lazer Beam is up in the ranks with them. Catchy vocal and guitar hooks could melt most of the snow in the high desert. They are heavy as in stoner / doom vibes but still very accessible. This is due to Lucust French’s songwriting and melodies.
If you think it is easy to mix heaviness with poppy grooves you are either mistaken or naturally gifted.
The repetition of the lyric “Burn” and the accompanying riff can easily get stuck in your head. The riffs are golden if you like slower head banger worthy groovy guitar runs.
The video? Well there is definitely alot that can be said. I’ll cover what I saw that was somewhat obvious. The band is playing in the desert hills and it looks like they are having fun. They are not plugged in but have their instruments. This is a very well executed serious song but it is cool to see the players not taking the video so serious. The mic and guitars not having power is something that keeps you on your toes.
People with vertigo issues beware, though. The screen scrolls down to up as if it is an old circa 1970’s TV that needs it V hold adjusted. This did not bother me, but I know someone personally that would not be able to watch. The ending is mysterious to me. I knew this track before the video came out and the ending seems to be a teaser for another song or just something for effect for Sno Burn itself. Burn up here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzWVPupJwDg
For more on Andrew WK and Mogwai check these links https://andrewwk.com/ and https://mogwai.scot/
Support Lazer Beam here https://lazerbeam.bandcamp.com/ and read about the project here https://doomedandstoned.com/post/643494488066719745/lazerbeam