Since surfacing from the Detroit underground in 1993, Matthew Smith’s outfit have trodden an ever tangential path with infuriating results. Touching all bases from garage rock through prog, psychedelia and beyond requires a deft touch that’s often eluded them but, though this record still finds the ground shaking beneath their feet, it’s probably their most assured to date. At their best when fusing Spacemen 3 feedback and backwards guitar to West Coast smarts (see “Girl You Have Magic Inside You” and “Desperate Times, Desperate Measures”), there’s enough to suggest there’s life out there after all.
Advertisement