Album Type:
Album
Date Released:
Sept 23rd
2014
Label:
Riding Easy Records
Samsara -
track listing:
1. Mortal Bones
2. Trespass
3. 1000 Lies
4. Lucifer Sam
5. Refuge
6. Eternal Well
7. Dragon Snort
Band Members
Ian Graham –
Guitar/Vocals
Lisa Alley –
Bass/Vocals
Jason Sullivan –
Drums
Review:
On
their debut full-length, Austin psych-doom trio The Well have a lot
to be proud of. They manage to resurrect the bluesy fuzz of
proto-metal acts like Blue Cheer and Mountain. They hit that sweet
spot of head banging fun and occult mysticism in their lyrics and
vocals, with Graham and Alley doubling each other in nearly every
song, creating an ethereal vocal style all their own. They manage to
start the album with a (Rod Serling?) sample about the Temple of Amun
Ra without coming off as pretentious, if only because the opening
track, “Mortal Bones,” unleashes a riff so heavy it could be the
soundtrack to the movement of tectonic plates. Perhaps most
impressively, Alley has made appropriate use of a bass wah pedal in a
post-Red Hot Chili Peppers age on album highlight “Trespass,”
which also boasts a deceptively simple solo from Graham, with tone as
thick and sweet as wildflower honey. The Well manages to put the
“power” in “power trio” without tons of overdubs. The album
almost comes across as a live record, occasional flubs and all. The
rhythm section remains tight enough to provide ample background for
Graham’s fuzzy, sometimes sloppy blues-based solos, but also can
get loose enough for you to bob your head and maybe even move your
hips to.
It
would be hard to classify a record as rough around the edges as a
“concept album,” but Samsara, likes its namesake, revisits the
same lyrical and musical themes while exploring the darker questions
of human existence. To keep this as brief as possible, samsara is a
concept in several Eastern religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism,
Taoism, and others, that speculates that the universe and souls exist
in a cycle of continual birth, suffering, death, and rebirth; the
trap of this wheel-like structure is not perceiving the reality
behind the illusion of existence. It’s all quite heady stuff, but
the members of The Well seem to be trying to mine deeper themes for
all the retro-rock swagger. On songs like “Lucifer Sam” and
“Refuge,” Graham’s lyrics can come off as willfully obtuse, but
probing the left-hand/right-hand god and devil imagery of
Christianity, or making ominous references to dark magic and unnamed
gods, there’s a clear push toward thematic cohesion.
If
tracing a distinct concept is difficult work, it helps that the album
rocks pretty hard and holds up to repeated spins. On a purely sonic
level, these guys are true masters of tone; seriously, that thick
midrange tone in that “Trespass” solo will make analog-obsessed
guitarists weep tears of bitter envy. Somehow, through the fuzz, the
bass, the pop and crash of Jason Sullivan’s restrained drumming,
Samsara stands apart from some fellow retro enthusiasts in that you
can hear distinct instruments, notes, harmonies, etc, instead of a
clattering wall of reverb.
My
only disappointment with the record is that, by and large, Graham and
Alley double each other line for line, with little room for their
distinct voices to take center stage. When Alley does on “Refuge,”
it’s haunting – I’d love to hear a song centered around her
plaintive, melancholy vocals on their next release. And Ian Graham’s
vocals at the end of “Eternal Well” dip right into soul, with a
bit of Lovecraftian madness poking about the edges. I’m confident
that a band that is so sonically proficient will find the room to
grow on the next go-round, but for those who like ragged blues licks,
proto-metal, psychedelic rock, and a healthy dose of doom, Samsara is
a worthwhile exploration of human and inhuman darkness.
Written
by Mark Ambrose
Thanks
to Richard at Sheltered Life PR for sending us a promo to review. Samsara will be available to buy from RidingEasy Records on Sept 23rd
2014.
Check
the Band from Links Below
