LP Review: Live Over Freak Valley by Mothership

I had heard of Mothership but I had not seen them live so I was stoked to discover the boys from Texas were one of the opening bands for Corrosion of Conformity’s latest tour with Brant Bjork. Live Over Freak Valley was recorded at the band’s European debut in Germany and delivers the same level of intensity they brought to the Odeon in Cleveland, Ohio on an early winter night.

“Hallucination” and “Lunar Master” kick off the live record with a southern-fried bombast of blues-based fuzz. “Cosmic Rain” opens with a heavy riff reminiscent of some deep-fried ZZ Top swagger. The band goes space bass with “Tamu Massif,” an instrumental guaranteed to get your head nodding. “City of Nights” and “Win or Lose” have a distinct 70s-era KISS vibe that is both fresh and nostalgic.

From the band’s website (http://www.mothershiphaslanded.com):

“Supersonic intergalactic heavy rock trio Mothership based out of Dallas, Texas give a real sense of hope that all is well in the universe, and that pure honest rock and roll has once again returned to this planet on a mission to unite true believers. Consisting of brothers Kyle Juett on bass/lead vocals, Kelley Juett on guitar/vocals, and Judge Smith on drums, these guys have created a unique sound that satisfies like a steaming hot stew of UFO and Iron Maiden, blended with the southern swagger of Molly Hatchet and ZZ Top, paired with a deadly chalice of Black Sabbath.”

Having seen the band perform recently, I can honestly say I have a deep respect for Mothership. It’s not easy for a 3-piece to bring the same sonic quality to a live show as they do to a recording. You just can’t add an extra guitar or two unless you, well, use a backing track to add an extra guitar or two while performing live. And we don’t even need to say how disgusting that would be. Mothership relies on brothers Kyle and Kelley along with the Judge to bring all the thunder you’ll ever need in a live show. Live Over Freak Valley does the same and is the next best thing to seeing the band on a stage in your hometown.

I can honestly say that I’m not a huge fan of live recordings as the performances aren’t usually as clean and precise as the ones recorded in the studio. However, Live Over Freak Valley exceeded my expectations and I’m already checking to see when the Texans are crossing the Mason-Dixon Line again. Go get yer freak on, y’all.

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New Band To Burn One To: SEAGRAVE

There’s not a lot that needs to be said here (we're gonna let the music do most of the talking on this one) about Philadelphia’s SEAGRAVE and their stoner/classic rock demo full of heavy old school riffs, vocals and song-writing that gladly remind us of Mothership, and a balls-to-the-wall attitude of playing their adrenaline fuelled rock’n’roll. The five-piece recorded the demo last year, and are currently working on the debut EP, so for now, add this blast of heavy-ass rock to your day, you’ll be so much happier for it! (plus it’s got pretty cool artwork, courtesy of Dave Rankin)

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KP's Top Ten Stoner Rock Albums of 2014

There is something about the proverbial changing of the calendar that prompts within us all an inclination towards contemplative reflection (and for some of us an apparently concomitant inclination towards redundant verbiage). We all seek to categorize events into convenient yet ultimately arbitrary chunks of time with the hope of identifying the particular events, trends, fashions, books, movies, and (of course) albums that we feel encapsulate the zeitgeist of that particular chunk of time more than any other. It is ultimately absurd and futile folly. But then again, I love ranking shit as much as the next guy so fuck it here's my list of the ten stoner rock albums that I feel best encapsulate the zeitgeist of 2014...or somesuchshit.

10.  Foghound - "Quick, Dirty and High"

Foghound released their debut so early in 2014 I almost overlooked it for inclusion in this list. Thankfully, an almost criminal omission was averted. "Resurrect the Throwaways" indeed! Propelled by the propulsive opening track "Easy Come, Easy Go" (a balls out rocker which augments the obligatory gang vocal choruses with gang vocal verses to boot!), "Quick, Dirty and High" lives up to the billing of its title and offers the kind of greasy lo-fi bongapalooza that Fu Manchu perfected. Foghound actually pays homage to the mighty Fu in their own endearingly off kilter way on "Get in My Van". However, unlike their Orange County brethren, this is no invitation for a sunny beach blanket bongout. No, in the grimy hands and dirty minds of these sick Baltimore fucks, "Get in My Van" becomes the soundtrack to the perverse entreaties of a serial rapist.

9. Crobot - Something Supernatural

Hailing from the appropriately named Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Crobot have been honing their chops with incessant touring across this great land of ours until finally releasing their first full length LP, Something Supernatural this fall. On such full throttle rockers as "Legend of the Spaceborne Killer", Crobot have showcased their signature sound. With Brandon Yeagley's multi-octave vocals soaring over the band's funky, metallic aural onslaught, Crobot are the answer to the question of what the bastard child would sound like if Wolfmother and Rage Against The Machine engaged in a bit of in flagrante delicto. Naturally, such a band would be more predisposed to bombast than to subtlety. It is thus a little surprising that Crobot actually hits their stride and really shines on the more atmospheric and evocative tracks like "Queen of the Light" and "La Mano de Lucifer", on which they breathe musical life to lyrics such as "It's better to reign in Hell than to serve God's will". Amen.

8. 1000 Mods - Vultures

Those Greek psychedelic stoners 1000 Mods returned from their great super van vacation to show that the promise from their debut lp was merely a harbinger of things to come on their latest album, Vultures. Chock full of jangly guitar riffs, grungy atmospherics, and a molasses-like morass of feedback-driven fuzz, it's an album which oddly sounds as if it exists simultaneously in the late sixties and the early nineties. 1000 Mods specialize in rock that is slow and grungy and bloozy as evidenced on "She", a Bataan death march of a tune highlighted by a guitar solo that's as incisive as a switchblade to the gut. Far and away the coolest track on the album, however, is the instrumental closer "Reverb of the New World". An itchy riff scrapes across a hypnotic percolating bass line before the drums propel the whole goddamn thing into a full throttle cosmic rocker that hyperdrives itself into spaced-out oblivion.

7. Planet of Zeus - Vigilante

Like Toby, I was struck by the emergence of two Greek bands producing such strong efforts that together they occupy 20% of my top ten list. What is really cool is how they both achieve greatness in markedly distinctive styles. In sharp contrast to 1000 Mods' laid back cool, Planet of Zeus adopts a much more aggressive style, coming off as the little brother who forgot to take his Ritalin. On Vigilante's opening salvo "The Great Dandolos", the band explodes in propulsive fashion, sounding like the Hellenic answer to Clutch as Babis vacillates between swaggering vocals in the verses and shouty screams on the choruses, all over a piledriving riff and throbbing backbeat. Other highlights from the album include the title track, which sounds like the bastard stoner grandchild of Black Oak Arkansas. It all culminates in "The Beast Within", an epic track that truly has it all:  a main riff that is colossal, circumlocutional, and abjectly brutal; a melodic Mediterranean midsection; and lead vocals so deranged they sound like Phil Anselmo overdosing on bath salts.

6. Electric Citizen - Sateen

Opening acts on summer tours are a lot like Cracker Jack surprises in that you never know what you're gonna get but it's usually gonna be disposable and altogether forgettable. But occasionally you'll get something cool like a pack of bitchin tattoos. When Cincinnati Ohio's Electric Citizen opened up for Fu Manchu this summer, we all saw something really cool, a young band positioning themselves as the potential breakout stars for the Sabbath Worship sect. When their highly anticipated debut, Sateen, was finally released, it appears the soothsayers were right for once. While incorporating a decidedly doomy seventies sound, Electric Citizen elect to eschew overt deviltry in favor of more nuanced sinister tones to achieve their own distinctive foreboding vibe. They also underscore the notion that on the rare occasion when keyboards should be employed in metal, they should sound as evil as fuck like they do on "Burning in Hell". But, unquestionably, what sets them apart from their peers is vocalist Laura Dolan, who smartly chose an approach that is more siren than succubus. Laura's mellifluous voice, whether on the hypnotically haunting "Hawk Nightengale" or the pulsating pounder "Light Years Beyond", is so enchanting it can only lead to a rapturous doom.

5. Fu Manchu - Gigantoid

Speaking of Fu Manchu, they released their highly anticipated Gigantoid in 2014 and it is easily their best album since the Mammoth Records days. Kicking the album off in ripsnorting fashion is "Dimension Shifter", which starts out as a balls-out snarling affair before the band steps in a time machine midsong and transport themselves back in time to 1997 and settle into a sludgy Sabbatherian groove accentuated by oscillating guitar licks. Other highlights include "Radio Source Sagittarius", perhaps the most quintessential Fu Manchu tune on the record, with its serpentine riff and obligatory cowbell, as well as "Evolution Machine" on which they evoke B-movie cool as only they can.  However, it is "Anxiety Reducer" which is clearly the album's transcendent track. Its' fuzzy gargantuan riff is otherwordly, otherweirdly, and as subtle as a drill bit being bored into your skull!

4. Mothership - II

On Mothership's second album, imaginatively titled II, this Dallas-based power trio have produced what for me is the most surprisingly badass album of the year. The album cover is in the same DIY indie label early 80's metal style that the debut sported, but the tuneage is light years beyond. Of the eleven tracks contained within, eight of them cohere around a mystical/fantasy-based theme. Most notable of these are actually two instrumentals, the beautifully grandiose "Celestial Prophet" and the wickedly exotic "Tamu Massif". Other standouts include "Priestess of the Moon", a relentless riff-fest that bludgeons in the style popularized by The Sword and "Eye of Sphinx" which is  alternately cruising and crushing. Unlike the typical fantasy-based band, Mothership elect to periodically interrupt the mystical proceedings by throwing in a couple of curveballs that sound like AC/DC momentarily hijacked the album. In lesser hands, it would make the recording come off as half-assed. But Mothership rock the tunes so freakin hard that they achieve the affect of appearing disarmingly unhinged. In fact, it is one of these curveballs, "Shanghai Surprise", a tale of transsexual shenanigans, that is easily the standout track on the whole album.

3. Greenleaf  - Trails & Passes

Greenleaf  have always occupied a unique niche in the world of Swedish stoner rock. As a side band with a rotating roster, they exist essentially as the musical equivalent of a superhero team. Part of the fun is seeing who shows up when guitarist Tommi Holappa yells "Avengers assemble!" As a consequence to all the lineup rotations, Greenleaf  have exhibited a chameleon-like quality to shift from muscle car fuzzouts ("Witchcraft Tonight") to struttin blooze ("Stray Bullit Woman") to haunting epic ("Nest of Vipers"). On their latest album Trails & Passes, the band has produced a record that is decidedly mature on the surface but deceptively subversive at its core. The album kicks off in blistering fashion with full-throttle rocker "Mother Ash" and extends to funky strutter "Humans". "With Eyes Wide Open" begins with a scraping intro that segues into a laid-back spacey vibe. With the refrain of "open up your eyes, don't trust their lies" chanted over hypnotic tribal drumming, the track is easily the record's resident smokeout bong star and would easily be the best tune on the album if not for the monumental title track. Over fuzzed-out bass and a hard charging beat, "Trails and Passes" rips along at a driving pace until erupting in a volcanic avalanche of searing licks.  

2. Wo Fat - The Conjuring

On The Conjuring, Dallas power trio Wo Fat returned to treat all the psychedelonauts to another heaping helping of their trademark brand of malevolent blues rock. That their latest would be their greatest is evident from the outset, as the title track opens with a sinister intro that sounds like a cauldron bubbling or perhaps Satan himself cooking up a pot of Texas chili before kicking in with a chugging guitar over a lumbering rhythm recorded at the precise speed at which zombies ambulate. For anybody that has experienced Wo Fat in person and has felt how murderously loud they can be, you can just imagine how wicked this tune translates in a live setting. The undisputed standout of the album though is "Beggars Bargain", a struttin' cock of seventies boogie double baked by the sweltering Texas sun and too many bong hits. Augmented by a hellacious solo and the judicious use of cowbell, the song is a veritable blitzkrieg assault of aural rapage. Closing out the album in epic fashion is the sprawling 17 minute "Dreamwalker. The track smolders its way at a diabolical pace as Luciferian licks insinuate themselves in your brain, eviscerating the last vestiges of your sanity.

1. Truckfighters  - Universe

Perhaps it is a sentimental choice, but for the number one album of 2014 I chose the first album I reviewed for Heavy Planet, Truckfighters' Universe, their conceptual opus centered around the conspiratorial machinations of clandestine forces surreptitiously orchestrating events. The whole thing kicks off with the serpentine riff of "Mind Control" and the band quickly settles into their trademark Swedish groove which seamlessly segues into "The Chairman" and its bubbling bassline that percolates like bong water. The hidden gem of the record is "Get Lifted".  "The beautiful soul that dies can't get out until the colours dry" sings Ozo over a hypnotic, ethereal melody until it is interrupted by a heavy growl of fuzz that becomes ever more urgent and more insistent until it finally explodes in what can only be described as a snarl.  It all ends with sprawling epic closer "Mastodont". Thematically, the song speaks of a soul being sent out to space to die, a cosmological update on the traditional Viking funeral. Intricate guitar lines build the tension like cryptic ciphers until what is created is nothing less than the most gargantuan of riffs that threatens to blow your speakers as well as your mind.  

Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Palm Desert - "Rotten Village Sessions" / Mothership - "Mothership"

Today we have the second second coming of Kyuss from Wraclow, Poland in the guise of Palm Desert, who Zac compared magnificently to the high desert sound of "Welcome to Sky Valley" on their first release, "Falls of the Wasteland" back in April of 2011. Now they've upped the ante a bit with their second release "Rotten Village Sessions" so we get to see if they were a one album wonder or not. The second offering today is a 3 piece in which 2 are brothers, hailing from Texas, with a deep, resonant groove borne of hours listening to their father's cache of 70s rock. Mothership are a mother lode of hard driving, fuzzy, melodious guitar soaked deliciousness mined from the depths of Earth's finest veins of rich metal.
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PALM DESERT - "ROTTEN VILLAGE SESSIONS"

Since the 2011 release of "Falls of the Wasteland", Palm Desert have now come out with another collection of songs seemingly written in the high deserts crispness of the Mojave Desert air titled "Rotten Village Sessions". The 2011 release was credited, as mentioned above, with a sound similar to the kings of the high desert, Kyuss, so the anticipation, if not expectation, for "Rotten Village Sessions" will be 'can they do it again'? Or would they even want to do it again. What will it be like?

As it turns out, Palm Desert stick to the formula, perhaps working on crafting an even finer collection of stoner rock tunes than before, something certainly not easy to do, something not many bands, regardless of location, would want to attempt, but Palm Desert have not only made the attempt, they have pulled off another solid collection of songs that fit perfectly in the pantheon of the high desert stoner sound perpetuated by Kyuss in the 90s.

Is the music on this album original in style? Does it break new ground or reveal anything new at all? Perhaps not, at least not in style or genre, but who the fuck cares? Is it good stoner rock? No. It's GREAT stoner rock, and I, for one, am very appreciative of this foursome from Wraclow, Poland taking a sound they obviously love, and that I happen to love as well, and whipping out 9 fresh, healthy versions of a rock sound that is becoming rare. There is no direct copying of anything here of which I can tell, just new songs brilliantly written to a style that is quite rightly one of the best rock has ever produced, one that came and went in relative obscurity for most, but luckily not for us.

Band members for Palm Desert are:

Kamil Ziotkowski - drums
Jan Rutka - bass
Piotr Lacny - guitar
Wojciech Gatuszka - vocals

Within the stoner rock style that Palm Desert employ are brilliant and gifted vocals, crucial to the high desert sound as set by John Garcia of Kyuss, eminent and energetic bass, never simply blended and relegated to the background as so often happens in many rock bands regardless of style, guitar that riffs and hooks, solos and scorches with the best of them, crucial to making memorable, enjoyable melodies, and drums, like the bass, that powerfully carve out their own space on these songs, not simply relegated to providing tempo and beat, but creating wonderful, vibrant music within the tapestry of Palm Desert's music.

The opening song, "Down the Odyssey" sets the tone, an eight minute intercontinental ballistic ride over the tops of saguaro and joshua, hooking from the outset, both in memorable melody and powerful blows to your stoner rock loving head. This is the kind of song you fall right into the middle of and ride for all its worth.

I love the echoey drum sound on track #3, "Ghulassa Saloon", that quickly leads into track #4, "Mani" where the musical threads here are trippy, catchy, and just plain groovy. It's a unique and incredibly enjoyable song that successfully employs unusual execution in instrumentation.

Palm Desert close out the album with a couple of classic sounding stoner songs, "Acid Phantom" and "White Wolf". The guitar work on "Acid Phantom" is pure and beautiful stoner rock, enjoyable for its effort as well as its dead on sound. "White Wolf" is ten minutes of sheer music brilliance, with a haunting, pitch perfect guitar weaving a tale of wonder and excitement, building up along the way with ever broadening drumwork, bass riffs, and vocal intensity. After ten minutes is a hidden little guitar ditty that adds a dash of flavor. It is there, I'm sure, just as a little thank you for those of us that made it to the end and enjoyed the trip along the way.




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MOTHERSHIP - "MOTHERSHIP"

Brothers Kelley, or Kells, and Kyle Juett team with Judge Smith to create a powerhouse rock trio that have no problem leaving the stratosphere of Earth for music that is cosmically and universally righteous. Hailing from Dallas, Texas, a heavy southern, bluesy influence is infused throughout their music, giving it a home base from which to blast off, but never constraining it to the small confines of our little solar system. Mothership know how to make their music soar, how to trip across the cosmos at the speed of sound, how to escape the gravity of the biggest black holes, and how to generate the force of the largest, most monstrous supernovas. Mothership may have been crafted in the backyard and garage of Daddy's house, but their vessel is one of the finest in the universe.

When first starting out, Mothership were 3 Juetts as father John flayed the skin as older brother Kyle cranked bass and younger brother Kells played guitar, with both brothers sharing vocal duties. Dad knew his time was limited, but can you imagine how much fun that had to be, playing some of the finest new rock crafted in recent years with your progeny? I can only imagine John enjoyed it immensely before turning the sticks over to Judge.

Judge, for his part, has stepped in admirably, providing high quality drumwork that never hides behind the roar and rumble of the high energy engines of the Juett brothers' strings. Judge's energy combines with a physical quality that permeates and punctuates perfectly and powerfully throughout the album.

Guitar work by the younger Kells is quite definitely a cut above standard rock guitar. Stoner / retro rock is all about guitar, and Mothership take that to heart, delivering loads of driven, cogent, quality guitar that takes its cues from old blues rock, rock guitar from the 70s, and embellishing upon that with volume and vigor, fuzzing out the edges with a satisfying dollop of distortion, boring out huge swathes of earth below the surface while simultaneously blasting away at outerspace in starburst, supernova, cosmic blasts of laser cannon riffs and string theory precision.

Kyle mans the bass in such a way as to grab your attention quite quickly when listening through Mothership's songs for the first time. There is a whole lot of gusto with his playing, just downright kick the door in with my Red Wing steel tips, watch how easy it is for me, and as he's kicking it in you notice a beautiful rhythm to the whole event despite the brutality of it, despite the unmitigated release of testosterone and thermite.

The brothers share vocal duties, and I, for one, can't tell much of a difference as both bring a decent rock voice to the party, blending well with the music they play, never yelling the lyrics, something increasingly rare, but never putting themselves in positions that would compromise their capabilities, which when you think about it, shows quite a bit of intelligence in song writing. That intelligence is much more evident on the songs themselves as each one of the eight on this self titled album are well written, well executed, and full of melody, hooks, riffs, memorable stretches with and without the vocals, just all around excellence in craftsmanship.

The opener is five minutes of instrumental, apparently stressing what to them is the more important part to their music and providing to us some monstrous riffage in tribal rhythmic packaging. It leads easily into "Cosmic Rain", a simple bluesy and catchy tune that will be one of those you find yourself singing to long after electricity has been shut off for the night.

Next up is "City Nights", where the melody is tighter and the hooks are contagious. The solos blister and burn, but the basswork, the rhythm guitar, and the energetic skin pounding on the refrains go straight to your blues rock receptors, firing off nerves that get your body moving in time to this incredible song.

It seems like each song kicks up the hookage a notch from its predecessor, and "Angel of Death" is no exception. After a nice extended intro, the blues fuzz kicks in, and musical satisfaction melts warmly through your body as the song unfolds and progresses. This is just pleasurable rock music listening, like biscuits, real butter, and honey. Chased down with a Real Ale Full Moon Pale Rye Ale, of course.

"Win or Lose" changes up the tempo, slowing it down, tuning it down, but kicking the intensity up a couple of notches to go along with a memorable and well crafted melody that will stay with you for days, I have no doubt. The guitar work on this song is exquisite, tremendous, just totally enjoyable.

"Eagle Soars", the penultimate song, continues the trend. The brothers spend time singing together on this one, which adds a nice flavor to what is already a boiling, frothy, batch of guitar stew, chock full of meat, and more meat, and just lots of meaty goodness.

The closer is "Lunar Master". It's a Lunar Masterpiece. Eight minutes of galloping headlong on your space stallion passing planets, comets, asteroids, and black holes at the speed of Mothership. Pretty awesome.

Mothership, in keeping with their celestial sci-fi name have conjured 8 tales of cosmic bliss played out in 70s Texas blues rock guitar, none of which sounds like it would fit, but when given to genetically superior beings, awesomeness is the byproduct of using what you know, on what you have at hand, with the enthusiasm of constructing what you love best. It's quite wonderful to behold.





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New Band To Burn One To - Mothership

 

As also seen on The Soda Shop

Today's New Band To Burn One to is a heavy and hard rocking band from Texas. They are Mothership.

Mothership is a tasty combination of 60's and 70's blues infused style riffs, teamed with the blistering guitar solos of the late 70's and early 80's, a rare 3 piece smelt of super sonic Hard Rock and Blues.

Kyle and Kells formerly of BRAKE VEGAS a fast rock n roll band out of Dallas,TX who have toured the country, played with countless big name acts, set attendance records, and were featured in Classic Rock Magazine out of the UK, have teamed up with their father John or "Big J" on drums, the man who's knowledge of music is limitless and his vinyl collection will swallow yours whole.