Transylvania
Fancy some Belgian stoner rock? Of course you do. Who wouldn’t? Until April this was my album of the year, but it has fallen away somewhat since. A record that I played to death when I got it, but one that has not quite managed the longevity of others. Still, Creature With The Atom Brain’s second album is a superb achievement – a real lease of life for the stoner rock template. To be more specific (given that there is stoner rock and then stoner rock), this is the mellower/fuzzier head-bobbing version, not the peddle-to-the-metal Orange Goblin head-banging type. There are two things that set Transylvania apart from numerous broadly similar bands. First, the songs are just really good. They’re burrowing little bleeders, which will stick in the head far longer than most of the competition; all built around simple guitar refrains. An album that makes excellent use of repetition without sounding repetitive. Secondly, there is something weird bubbling under the surface here: an odd vocal style on one track, an unusual time signature on another. The album may be built on the repetition of simple stoner riffs, but it comes to life with a variety of interesting touches. ‘Lonely Light’ (featuring Mark Lanegan) is undoubtedly the stand out track – an album which was all of that quality would be a real contender – but none of the songs are weak. Some room for improvement, but real promise here. Probably the first stoner rock band since Queens Of The Stone Age not to sound derivative. Not far away from greatness. Even if they are from Belgium...
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