‘Ad Hoc’ by Spiritual Warfare and the Greasy Shadows | Album Premiere
Exclusive album premiere of ‘Ad Hoc’ by Spiritual Warfare and the Greasy Shadows, out March 10th via Earth Libraries.
The newest project of Phoenix musician Joel Marquad shares their second album, ‘Ad Hoc’. They have also shared a bonus unreleased track, ‘Thick Of It’, which is a free download when you purchase the record.
Speaking on ‘Ad Hoc’, Joel wrote: “After I finished making ‘Ad Hoc’, I decided to quit music. The album took a lot out of me and I needed a break. The house we were living in the time in Idaho was maybe haunted by a sewing ghost because we kept finding sewing pins in the carpet. I ended up designing and sewing about 7 handbags some of which have plastic reproductions of animal mouths (like a bobcat) sewn into the side of them. Earth Libraries kept asking to press ‘Ad Hoc’ to vinyl and I kept telling them no. I moved back to Phoenix…then the pandemic happened. No Dogs In Space podcast played my song on their show and there was a new interest in the record and Earth Libraries once again asked to do a vinyl pressing and here we are today. I am working on a new album also”.
Joel Marquard stumbled upon the box for the Pro Tools software he had installed a couple years before and when he opened it found a disc at the bottom called ‘Loops’. He put it in his computer and found tons of different recorded instruments which were cut in a way that they could easily be looped. Loops like, “Neo-Soul Bass” or “R & B Drums O2.” But along with those were a bunch of drums from India as well as African and Latin hand drums. From those loops and beats he made, the project was born. He set up a rule. No drum kits. Only hand drums.
Spiritual Warfare and the Greasy Shadows is Joel Marquard and his eclectic influences including Golden Era Bollywood, exotica, oldies, punk, and beyond take over on his most recent album. Ad Hoc is the second album and from the opening guttural wail in the first track ‘Take It Over’, it is evident that unpredictability is a theme. Sinister choir backs the track, evoking a spaghetti western with our hero in peril. Tracks like ‘Angel of Death Donut Shop’, ‘Volcano Girls’, and ‘Death Was an Olympic Speedskater’ all highlight the vast spread of Marquard’s influences, carrying the listener through his mind. Marquard’s raw voice overlay the cacophony of sound that borrows from all over the world, mirroring popular Indian music, Italian film soundtracks, Exotica and other international rhythms. Somehow, Spiritual Warfare and the Greasy Shadows keep it accessible. Perhaps it’s due to Marquard’s keen ability to deftly create every sound that is heard and generating the melodies, beats, and sounds organically. His ability to conjure gives the sometimes dark subject matter a lightness and whimsy not common in music today. Underlying it all is a genuine punk attitude, meshing the dissonance in ways that echo throughout the album.
The unique sound drew Marcus Parks’ attention (podcast host of Last Podcast of the Left and No Dogs in Space), who featured the music at the close of his show. As Parks put it, “I wholeheartedly put my fucking stamp of approval on this. It’s fucking great….As soon as I put it on I immediately said ‘this is fantastic’.”
Spiritual Warfare and the Greasy Shadows’ album ‘Ad Hoc’ takes you on a tour into the depths of musicality and guides you through gently, though you will not emerge the same.
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