This Alaska-bred quartet have always been characterized by
undulating, multi-movement compositions that make great use of snaky
falsetto vocals, odd noises and swelling keyboards — sorta like a
prog-rock version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” with jagged post-punk
guitar lines. They relocated to Oregon, but their music retained the
mythic size and swagger of their home state. Frontman John Gourley has
threatened to make a soul album, reflected in the past with funky organ
lines. With The Satanic Satanist, he’s fulfilled that promise,
revealing previously untapped potentials.
By reigning in their expansive impulses (none of the first eight
tracks exceed 3:15) and the guitars — and putting the keyboards
and thick, thumping bass center stage — they’ve discovered an
even more alluring identity. The call-and-response vocals are well
suited to ’70s soul, and the deeper grooves subscribe to a less-is-more
philosophy that smooths their frantic state.A flower-child psych
undercurrent flows beneath “The Sun” and the wah-drenched “Lovers in
Love,” while the slinky “Guns & Dogs,” with its bluesy guitar line,
sounds like the Walkmen channeling Keith Richards. Overall, it’s a
funky, strutting, tuneful late-night party you never want to see end.
— Chris Parker
This article appears in Jul 29 – Aug 4, 2009.
