Haunted Leather In Her Golden Room (Stolen Body Records)
Misfiring EP from Michigan psych-rockers
Released Sep 2nd, 2013 via Stolen Body Records / By Ben Wood
God, there are a lot of very stoned bands out there at the moment - and here's another one. This five-track EP sees Michigan psych-rockers Haunted Leather mix droning, circular guitar grooves with 'am I bothered' vocals.
Rocking beards, shades and headbands, their music's vibe is somewhere between 'Lets hit the fuckin' road, maan' and 'Who gives a shit, I'm gonna have another bong hit and stare into space...' Singer Jack's vocals are lost in the murk so their lyrical preoccupations remain mysterious, but I'm guessing they don't involve greeting the new day with a spring in their step and heading off out for a jog.
Tunes such as 'Come and Join Us' and the title track start off quite promisingly, with trippy spiralling guitar and mantra-like grooves, but they don't go anywhere and the groove becomes a rut. The lack of variety and torpid, whacked-out atmosphere become positively depressing.
Many of music's finest moments have been created by people wacked out of their tiny minds - and that's absolutely fine. 'Sgt Pepper' wouldn't have sounded quite the same if the Fabs hadn't been caning the funny sugar-cubes. But surely drugs are supposed to be fun? This lot don't seem like they're having any.
Having said that, the record does contain one little gem. 'Sophie's Song' drops the pace still further to give us a smacked-out loping ballad that's very Spacemen 3.
Add big Velvet Underground-esque tomtoms in the background, and top with a squalling guitar outro, and you have the one occasion where the band's sordid vibe works in their favour. Perfect music for your local opium den.
However, this music is best taken in small doses (pun intended). Listen to it too often and you may just lose the will to live...
Rocking beards, shades and headbands, their music's vibe is somewhere between 'Lets hit the fuckin' road, maan' and 'Who gives a shit, I'm gonna have another bong hit and stare into space...' Singer Jack's vocals are lost in the murk so their lyrical preoccupations remain mysterious, but I'm guessing they don't involve greeting the new day with a spring in their step and heading off out for a jog.
Tunes such as 'Come and Join Us' and the title track start off quite promisingly, with trippy spiralling guitar and mantra-like grooves, but they don't go anywhere and the groove becomes a rut. The lack of variety and torpid, whacked-out atmosphere become positively depressing.
Many of music's finest moments have been created by people wacked out of their tiny minds - and that's absolutely fine. 'Sgt Pepper' wouldn't have sounded quite the same if the Fabs hadn't been caning the funny sugar-cubes. But surely drugs are supposed to be fun? This lot don't seem like they're having any.
Having said that, the record does contain one little gem. 'Sophie's Song' drops the pace still further to give us a smacked-out loping ballad that's very Spacemen 3.
Add big Velvet Underground-esque tomtoms in the background, and top with a squalling guitar outro, and you have the one occasion where the band's sordid vibe works in their favour. Perfect music for your local opium den.
However, this music is best taken in small doses (pun intended). Listen to it too often and you may just lose the will to live...
Follow Bearded on...