Psychedelic boogie jammers
Dommengang
eviscerate time and geography on their fourth studio full-length,
Wished Eye
. As with other albums, the material is strongly informed by raw psych-rock of the 1960s and '70s, but
mold their influences into strange new shapes that are hard to place on a generational time line. Just when one of their ragged burners starts to sound like the work of some overlooked '70s prog band, the arrangement shifts dramatically into something more modernized. The band moved their home grounds from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon, before beginning the creative process for the album, and while the results aren't quite the introspective and relaxed moods one might associate with the Pacific Northwest, there's an earthy quality to this set of tunes, like the band is digging deep into the dirt of their consciousness and pulling wild sounds out by the roots. Blasts of bluesy fuzz can be restrained and precise, as on the
Hawkwind
-meets-
Sabbath
"Blue & Peaceful" or frenzied and ramshackle, as with the wild-eyed rave-up "Society Blues." On the latter,
layer walls of wah-wah guitar, searing leads, overblown drumming, and alien bass clarinet frequencies from
Golden Retriever
member
Jonathan Sielaff
. As often as the group recalls the proto-metal muscle of
Blue Cheer
or
Black Sabbath
, their nuanced approach often nods to more obscure influences, especially when they take the volume down slightly. The dreamy web of guitars that begins "Myth Time" dissolves into a mudslide shuffle groove decorated with smart guitar leads that recall British blues psych band
the Groundhogs
. The blissful glow of "Runaway" merges
Popol Vuh
softness with washed-out jamming that reins in the lawless expansiveness of
Les Rallizes Denudes
.
is a little less boogie-oriented than previous
releases, instead fusing blues flourishes with more controlled composition at times and surrendering to the chaos at others. It's an album of complexly crafted songs that somehow never feels too overwrought and never loses its spirit of reckless abandon. ~ Fred Thomas