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THE CHESTERFIELD KINGS
The Mindbending Sounds Of (Sundazed)
Reviewed by Alan Wright
These guys have been cranking out unhinged garage music since the early '80s, except for a brief flirtation with a more '70s hard rock sound in the early '90s. After bouncing back with a surf album (!) and then the fantastic Where The Action Is album in 1999, they regained their status as true garage kings. This new album is the first Kings album to feature all original material, and is also their most psychedelic release yet. We're not talking hippie-dippy jammed-out crap, either. This is fuzzed-out, manic, and often demented sounding acid-punk. "I Don't Understand," previously released in a slightly different version as a 7" single, kicks things off and features pal Little Steven on guitar, organ and production. Former Jefferson Airplane guitars Jorma Kaukonen also adds some guitar to a couple of songs, "Mystery Trip" and "Death Is The Only Real Thing," the latter of which sounds like a lost track from the Rolling Stones' "Between The Buttons" LP. The rest is all played by the four Kings, utilizing tons of vintage guitars, pedals, keyboards, Theremin, Clavioline, Mandolin, Violin, Viola, Sitar, various percussive instruments and much more. The sound on this is incredible. Well produced, but not too slick, and sounds zoom in and out of the mix for a truly lysergic listening experience. Songs like "Transparent Life" and "Disconnection" channel the Electric Prunes, replete with wildly reverberating tremolo guitars, while others show the influence of bands like the Electric Prunes, 13th Floor Elevators, Third Bardo, Blues Magoos and so forth. One song, "Stems & Flowers" was co-written with former/current Seeds frontman Sky Saxon, and Kings singer Greg Prevost does a spot-on Sky style vocal that I almost thought was Saxon himself vocalizing! "Flashback" features cool backwards guitar lines and great hallucinogen-inspired lyrics. The most straightforward song here is "Non-Entity," which features wailing blues harp, a more R&B-influenced sound, and culminates in a crazed rave-up style ending. I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and as much as I love those early Kings LPs like Here Are, Stop! and Don't Open 'Till Doomsday, this may be their crowning achievement after all. Absolutely essential listening!
© 2003 - Alan Wright