Caleb Landry Jones
dives even deeper down the psych-rock K-hole on his sophomore LP. Arriving just one year after the Texan's sprawling debut,
Gadzooks, Vol. 1
is every bit as chaotic as its predecessor, with a freewheeling and deeply experimental bent. After building an impressive career as a film actor,
Jones
launched an alternate career as an indie singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Upon recommendation from auteur
Jim Jarmusch
, he was added to the roster of edgy Brooklyn imprint
Sacred Bones
, which released his first psychedelic opus,
The Mother Stone
, in 2020. Written in New Mexico during a dystopian film shoot with
Tom Hanks
, his follow-up is a kitchen sink of interesting ideas and parts. Resuming his collaboration with producer
Nic Jodoin
,
presents a mixture of ornamental psych-pop, prog rock ambitions, and a dose of wiry punk energy. Sequenced together without gaps, the tracks run up against each other in disjointed crescendos and manic mood swings as
sings in a variety of affected timbres and accents. After eight tracks ranging in length from 39 seconds to almost five minutes,
Gadzooks
closes with "This Won't Come Back," a freewheeling 20-minute assemblage of wonky experimentation whose ethereal second half is surprisingly the album's most satisfying section. ~ Timothy Monger