Now there’s Stoner Rock and there’s Stoner Rock and Orange County’s Albatross Overdrive may well leave the sting of desert sands in the nostrils but they do so much more too. Three albums in ‘Ascendant’ may have a tick in the Stoner Rock checkbox, but it also does in a hundred others as refreshingly this is music that places no rules on its sonic composition.
And it all starts of so wonderfully manically with ‘On The Ledge’, hitting that overdrive with all the energy of a freight train before ‘The Sleeper’ not only hits the brakes but also removes the wheels entirely before replacing them and speeding up to a sunset-shot desert blues.
And the ride, believe me, is a rocky but worthwhile one – from the whip and burn of the title track; through the wonderfully dark and attention grabbing ‘Come Get Some’ and the groove and jam of the wonderful ‘Live Love Laughter’ right the way to the jazzy ‘Pity Pipe.’
The only real cast iron Stoner here is the rather grand ‘Undecided’ which certainly gets the blood flowing,but its the journey paved with n abundance of ideas that are translated so well which is the real draw of this band.
Sure to be close to the best crossover albums of the year. I can’t get it out of the machine!
