In the world of stoner, sludge, doom and psych I thought I had seen every form of Cannabis worship integrated into band names. Step forward Poland’s Weedpecker to tap (or is that peck) me on the shoulder. This Warsaw quartet have been in existence since 2012 and as you can see from the title, this album is their fourth full length release.
If the bands moniker conjures up aural images of thick billowing smoke ala Bongzilla or Bongcauldron etc then let them dissipate through an open window of your hotboxed mind.
Weedpecker had a personnel change two years ago with main man vocalist and guitarist Piotr Dobry (AKA Wyro) bringing in ex Major Kong bassist Dommel, Ex Dopelord drummer Walczak and in a surprising turn of events the swap of a second guitarist for a full time keyboard player in Belzebong’s Seru. This means that amidst the oh so chunky riffs weave far out trippy keys which give the album a glorious late 60’s ethereal atmosphere. Piotr’s brother Bartek has put down his guitar and taken up the producer and engineer’s stool here as well as helping with some of the arrangements. Having a family member so closely involved has certainly paid dividends.
I have refreshed my knowledge and gone back and listened to Weedpecker’s earlier output. All solid stoner stuff that got my head bobbing and knees knocking in the appropriate place – but as good as it was it is pretty generic.
Now IV has got me all of a flutter. Swirling in a kaftan in Haight Ashbury surrounded by day-glo peaceniks. Yeah baby. Album opener “No Heartbeat Collective” is a ballsy psych rocker that ebbs and flows like tidal LSD, beautiful rhythms and light tight melodies. I can see the fractals in my third eye!
This is the way of the whole album there are rockers and there are dreamy tracks to float away on. The title track is one such trip – a lilting saxophone carried me above the baby wah and intoxicating bassline before a simply wonderous guitar-line fired flares into my ears – I am stone cold sober as I write this I promise. “Big Brain Monsters” that follows channels some Jimi “Foxy Lady” in its 5 minutes and this freezing cold late November morning dissipates.
There is a track named “Endless extensions of Good Vibrations” that starts like a waterpark lazy river ride before erupting into a J Mascis flurry of distorted psychedelia before grooving into an Uncle Acid/Beatles style rocker.
This album is a love letter to psychedelic rock written on Ken Kesey’s stationery of choice. It’s nostalgic sure but has enough of the current stoner psych scene within its folds to make it well worth a listen.
(8/10 Matt Mason)
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