(Tee Pee/Inertia)

Death, lust and paranoia brought to you by psych-, kraut- and post-rock. Not to mention copious quantities of narcotics

Heavy Deavy Skull Lover is The Warlocks’ most adventurous album to date. The LA four-piece’s blatant psychedelia is a stampede of kraut-rock rhythms and drones, smothered by mournful washes of reverb-laden guitar. The record’s themes of death, lust and drug-induced paranoia are eked out of lens-flare delay trails and sparse, half-whispered vocals. The whole thing feels like an opiate dream, or the sensation of trying to focus on specifics while stoned. The sparing, seemingly arcane melodies swirl inconspicuously at the edge of consciousness, while the reverberated acoustics swell noticeably in palls of feedback and fuzz. It actually captures the experience of various downers fairly succinctly, but you’d expect no less from The Warlocks’ frontman and ex-Brian Jonestown Massacre bassist Bobby Hecksher. Heavy Deavy Skull Lover is a fragile and sinister psych-rock odyssey. PS. Mono fans should listen to Track 2, Moving Mountains – it is basically a companion piece to Yearning (though admittedly not as good).

JAKEB SMITH

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