Luder – Sonoluminescense (Small Stone)

Once upon a time in 90s Detroit, there was a band called SLOT. Led by guitarist BILLY RIVKIN and bassist/vocalist SUE LOTT (partners in life as well as music), the trio mixed shoegazer arrangements and wispy melodies with hard rock riffage and a whimsical outlook on life, carving out a distinctive niche in the indie rock edifice with a handful of EPs and an album. The band went unappreciated, though, breaking up in 1995. Rivkin’s unfortunate death from cancer in 2004 put paid to any notions of a reunion.

But the story didn’t end there. Detroit label Small Stone, staffed as it was by longtime Slot fans, gathered up the band’s unreleased material on The Sweet Black Bear, a stunning 2006 LP indicating that, in its waning days, Slot was just hitting its stride. In celebration of the record’s release, SS head SCOTT HAMILTON persuaded Lott and drummer EDDIE ALTERMAN to reform Slot for a one-time performance at SXSW, with Hamilton and band/label friend PHIL DÜRR (formerly of BIG CHIEF, currently of GIANT BRAIN and FIVE HORSE JOHNSON) replacing the irreplaceable Rivkin on guitars. I was at this gig, and it was a glorious tribute to Rivkin and the band’s legacy.

I remember commenting at the time that it would be a shame for that to be the end of it – the chemistry between the musicians was palpable. Sure enough, this combination stayed together, drafting FHJ drummer ERIC MILLER in place of Alterman and rechristening themselves LUDER. Picking up on its debut Sonoluminescense right where the endtime Slot left off, the quartet pours gouts of psychedelic guitar over sturdy dream pop melodies. Hamilton and Dürr dunk their hard rocking riffs in big-ass buckets of effects, not to obscure but to enhance the songs. Lott contrasts her muscular basslines with light singing, floating above the miasma while also firmly anchoring it. Miller drives the rhythms with enough improvisatory fills to keep the bottom rubbery yet right. Armed with Lott’s typically sharp, sardonic lyrics, tracks like “Hot, Girl-on-Girl, Vampire Action,” “Points West” and “In Love With Love” undulate like rainbow serpents plugged into Marshall amplifiers, sporting a melodic sensibility and rhythmic sensuality that keep the cosmic acid earthy and approachable without compromising the trippy atmosphere. Sonoluminescense is a brilliant modern take on lysergic rock & roll, as Luder expands on the legacy of Slot in a way that should make Rivkin’s spirit smile proudly and set the stage for more magic to come.

http://www.myspace.com/luderband
http://www.smallstone.com