Haunted Leather – Red Road (2013) review
Haunted Leather “Red Road” (Stolen Body 2013)
Bristol-based Stolen Body have just
released a limited edition (250 copies), red-vinyl version of this Michigan septet’s sophomore effort as
part of Record Store Day. “Shapes On The Wall” stalks into the room on the back
of a haunting bassline that explodes into ferocious, Sabbathian riffs,
monotonic vocals unintelligibly and probably intentionally buried in the mix,
and a frightened-as-fuck atmosphere that suggests listening alone in the dark
could be detrimental to your psychological well being. Dusty’s crystalline
guitar lines throughout the album recall Robert Smith’s, creepy-crawly
pyrotechnics on the Cure’s early suicide trilogy (Faith, Seventeen Seconds,
Pornography) and Lou Reed’s serpentining ostrich guitar squawk on seminal
tracks like “All Tomorrow’s Parties”, but there’s also an enormous My Bloody
Valentine wall-of-guitar vacuum that sounds like you’re standing in the middle
of a runway with a supersonic transport about to take off. Then there’s that
heavy, Doorsy chest pounder, “Diamond Sleep” which sounds like Mr Mojo Risin’
just bellied up to the Roadhouse Blues Saloon and ordered a few rounds of devil
spit…in a dirty glass.
released a limited edition (250 copies), red-vinyl version of this Michigan septet’s sophomore effort as
part of Record Store Day. “Shapes On The Wall” stalks into the room on the back
of a haunting bassline that explodes into ferocious, Sabbathian riffs,
monotonic vocals unintelligibly and probably intentionally buried in the mix,
and a frightened-as-fuck atmosphere that suggests listening alone in the dark
could be detrimental to your psychological well being. Dusty’s crystalline
guitar lines throughout the album recall Robert Smith’s, creepy-crawly
pyrotechnics on the Cure’s early suicide trilogy (Faith, Seventeen Seconds,
Pornography) and Lou Reed’s serpentining ostrich guitar squawk on seminal
tracks like “All Tomorrow’s Parties”, but there’s also an enormous My Bloody
Valentine wall-of-guitar vacuum that sounds like you’re standing in the middle
of a runway with a supersonic transport about to take off. Then there’s that
heavy, Doorsy chest pounder, “Diamond Sleep” which sounds like Mr Mojo Risin’
just bellied up to the Roadhouse Blues Saloon and ordered a few rounds of devil
spit…in a dirty glass.
The
band’s sound is hard to pin down after your initial listening session, because
just when you think you’ve got another retread of Sleep’s Jerusalem/Dopesmoker
on your hands (e.g., tracks like “Midnight’s Child”), along comes the Brian
Jonestown Massacre bluesy, slide-guitar swagger of “You Shouldn’t Ask”, the
hypnotic mindfuck of “Mirror” and “I Don’t Mind”, and the headswirling haze of
“Indian Road” and you’re glad for the variety of influences (Spacemen 3, The
Warlocks, Loop, Velvets) and executions. Simply mesmerizing!
band’s sound is hard to pin down after your initial listening session, because
just when you think you’ve got another retread of Sleep’s Jerusalem/Dopesmoker
on your hands (e.g., tracks like “Midnight’s Child”), along comes the Brian
Jonestown Massacre bluesy, slide-guitar swagger of “You Shouldn’t Ask”, the
hypnotic mindfuck of “Mirror” and “I Don’t Mind”, and the headswirling haze of
“Indian Road” and you’re glad for the variety of influences (Spacemen 3, The
Warlocks, Loop, Velvets) and executions. Simply mesmerizing!
Review made by Jeff Penczak/2013
© Copyright
http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2013
http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2013
Great stuff…, when listening to the first song I was having a glimpse at Bardo Pond´s early days.
Cool shit really.
Cheers from Madrid.
JdG