Whilst stoner rock is a sub-genre of music that could have been created for the sake of instrumental albums, I mean, who wants all the hassle of like remembering lyrics man, such acts are very much in a minority. There may be any number of reasons, but my personal belief is that there is a certain expectation of the “verse, chorus, verse” structure for music that has been drummed into the subconscious of every popular music buyer since the advent of recording. As such, it is rather nice to be introduced to an act willing to swim against the stream, this time in the form of Italy’s own Stranger In My Town, and their latest offering ‘Vol. II’.
Opener ‘Indian’ emerges gently from the speakers with wistfully plucked chords and rolling cymbals, bringing to mind, well my mind at least, the laid-back magic of Zeppelin’s ‘No Quarter’, in atmosphere if not in form, the gentle start building into looping hypnotic riffs. So far, so good. ‘Golden Lies’ follows with a bit more of a Prog sound before the rock rolls in and the guitars alternate between in your face chords and gently plucked progressions, all held aloft by a rhythm section that manages to maintain beats that are simultaneously loose but together.
As the album progresses Stranger In My Town incorporate more sounds into the mix; the near eight minutes of ‘Flying Leaf’ allows the music to ebb and flow, managing to drift from the psychedelic to bludgeoning with blackened blasts that may well be the “post rock” I’ve heard other reviewers mention but I’ve yet to wrap my head around. Whatever it may be, the changing pace and textures stop the song from fading into the background and kept this listener on their toes. However, when rather than musical surprises the simply blissfully trippy is needed, the band deliver that in ‘Moon Fog’, a track every bit as mellow as the name would suggest, but to ensure you don’t get too relaxed, that is followed up by ‘IPA’ with chugging riffs surely meant to be accompanied by a video of throbbing motorbikes burning up the road. The whole near hour of the album is closed off by the pomp and majesty of ‘Shadow Trip’, the opening guitar work taking me back to the days when thrash roots denying dinosaurs Metallica were still young and hungry rather than their own bloated tribute act and produced numbers like ‘The Call of Ktulu’, and I hope that is taken as a compliment to Stranger In My Town, not just a comment on how old I’m getting.
Bands that are able to keep the attention of the listener without the aid of songs are still a comparative musical rarity, and a path few are willing to tread. That Stranger In My Town succeed is a testament to their ability, both as musicians and as composers, and I look forward to charting their progress in what I hope will be future volumes.
(7/10 Spenny)
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