Nebula - Transmissions From Mothership Earth (Heavy Psych Sounds)

The band’s second album since returning from the dead in 2017, Transmissions From Mothership Earth doesn’t rework Nebula’s formula as much as reiterate that it still functions properly. One of Earth’s most power trioest power trios, the L.A. heavy psych blasters gets right back to crossbreeding Cream (if they’d been as acid-damaged as we’d all hoped) and the MC5 (if they’d loosened up on the political rhetoric before recording Kick Out the Jams), adding dollops of mind-altering substances along the way. Though the title track lays down the riffs and rhythm for some raw power rock, a more overtly trippy vibe stokes tales like “Existential Blues,” “The Four Horsemen” and “Melt Your Head,” allowing Nebula to freely indulge its most psychedelic instincts with phased vocals, third-eye observations, and layer upon layer of guitar effects. As the band’s gotten older, it’s only gotten freakier, not content to hang around the bar when much more interesting things are going on in the ether. Transmissions From Mothership Earth likely won’t convert the unfaithful, but those on the bus from the beginning will happily have their rods set a-twirl.