The argument could be made that, to be a proper psychedelic band, an act has to be mindblowing on a consistent basis. THE WARLOCKS were certainly that when I first encountered them in a packed club at South By Southwest several years ago; the wall-of-sound band (two drummers, three guitarists) definitely set my axis on twirl with their aggressive yet melodic drone. They followed that performance with The Phoenix Album, one of my favorite psych rock records of the past decade.
Since then, though, I’ve been disappointed. Surgery and Heavy Deavy Skull Lover are solid slabs of music, but nothing truly special. So I’m happy to report that bandleader BOBBY HECKSHER and his crew have rediscovered their mojo with The Mirror Explodes. The shoegazer movement seems to be the primary influence; ethereal textures and languid tempos abound. But if dreams suffuse the atmosphere, most of them are nightmares, as the group’s dark tone and repetitive drive (borrowed, as always, from THE VELVET UNDERGROUND) remain very much in evidence. “Red Camera” and “Standing Between the Lovers of Hell” find the natural connection between acid grunge and gothic rock, as if the SISTERS OF MERCY discovered LSD and heroin at the same time. “You Make Me Want” sounds like an ardent lover on the nod. “Frequency Meltdown” drills down the rabbit hole into the earth’s inner crust, awash in feedback hell.
All is not blackened – “There is a Formula in Your Despair” delivers its sardonic melancholy in a sedate, almost folkish arrangement, and “Static Eyes” brings the record to a close with its prettiest melody. Darkness is, after all, most effective when contrasted against the light. Being moody bastards suits the Warlocks in any case, and the band’s (re-)embrace of acid-washed drone without abandoning melody’s virtue gives their tab a most potent kick.
http://www.thewarlocks.com
http://www.teepeerecords.com
