Kyuss - “Sky Valley
Perhaps
it's because this was literally the first real stoner rock record I heard, to
me it is THE stoner rock record;
strange and heavy sounding with a psychedelic twinge and immensely strong
riffage. I still remember my first listen of it; being one of my first forays
into non-commercial music, I wasn't even sure what to do with it but it was the
most unique thing I'd heard and has been hugely influential since. I
continue to blast it regularly while cruising in the van, clenching my
fist and shaking it with every syllable as I rasp out my best Garcia
impression.
Sleep - “Dopesmoker”
I
first heard “Dopesmoker” in the "Jerusalem
Fu Manchu - “King of the Road”
The
sunken mid range sound of the entire album marks it as a staple of stoner
recording mentality, as well as the obvious driving force of fuzzed-out
pentatonic riffs and a metronomic mountain of drums. For the gear head this
particular album speaks volumes… defining the very clear association
between enthusiasm for vintage machines and stoner rock. It has also
become the undisputed theme music for a small sect of automobile enthusiasts:
vanners. From the cover artwork to our anthem "Boogie Van",
this is van jam number one.
The Melvins – “A Senile Animal”
They're
difficult to pinpoint as solely stoner rock since the Melvins catalogue contains
elements that range from totally bad ass chunky riffs and strong vocal
harmonizing to drone noise and deranged octave shifts. This album made my
list because it tends far towards the first two aspects like 1994's “Stoner
Witch” but is especially mind warping being their first with the
backing of Big
Business members, adding a second drummer to increase the mad rhythm
dynamics of their already incredible and unconventional Dale Crover.
Red Fang – “Murder the Mountains”
The
single "Wires" was my first listen, and while that track is
a great straightahead highway rocker (and the video is highly amusing), every
tune on this album is a kick in the nuts. Haunting lyrics and high
contrast duelling vocalists are only the beginning; the drums are so
dynamic I remember them like lyrics and the music is incredibly sludgy and
brutish considering it is (the only album on this list) in standard tuning.
Their deceptively simple approach to constructing ripping, writhing songs is
the musical equivalent of Walter Sobchak's kidnapping resolution plan to "grab
one of 'em and beat it out of him."
“Launch
Sequence”
is available buy here
