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Rosetta West:
X Descendent
On the front cover of Rosetta Wests new album, they bill themselves proudly as Savage and Psychedelic Blues. Not even on the inside of the insert is this little claim stashed away, but right above the bands logo it appears in full. So I guess this is the title these guys are trying to defend from the start. Now I come along, and its my job to decide if it fits or if its a grab for attention/self-appreciative pat on the back. Usually bands arent so forward as to slap a label on themselves from the get go, let alone spelling it out as clearly as this; so we might be off to a bad start. After hitting play, I actually start getting into these guys, and they grab me a bit from the first song. Its Alives normally signed style of white guy, suburban blues rock not that this is bad or always the case. (They did release the Black Keys first album, and some solo Nikki Sudden.) We do have some driving blues with catchy hooks, but Im still searching for the savagery after a few tracks into the album; its seeming a little limp in this self-referenced area. There is a bit of a sputter to the singer/guitarists demeanor and even a bit of the dark side forced out of his windpipes, but a savage attack I cannot find. Nothing brutal here at all. I forgot about the psychedelic claim of the album, and I dont think Ive come across that yet either. I guess there is a reverb-soaked microphone pushed to the forefront, which passes these days for psychedelia. On track five, Shakin All Over, its apparent that the singer has heard the Melvins Houdini a fine piece of work I might add as therere a couple of vocal melody lines lifted right off of the album. Well, here we go, a little farther in there is some extended fuzz party jammin, which calls back to some pysch music. Ah-ha, there it is; like a sparkling gem, I found the psychedelic hiding out as the last track disguised as bleating whales, frequency washes and feedback, a few good moments of noise haplessly tacked on at the end. Honestly, it seems to get a little old towards the end of the album; there are just not enough sparks or differentiation to hold my full attention. Its almost that redundant blues rock cold thats been going around the office. Theyre on the right track though, and a few albums and drinks down the road, they could be great.
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