Stinking Lizaveta-Caught Between Worlds
At A Loss Recordings-AAL 016-2004
By Josh Phillips
Stinking Lizaveta is a tough band to describe. While at first glance, their name and cover art may make you think "grind", they are actually a purely instrumental jam band. Caught Between Worlds is their fourth album and runs over an hour in length. So, an interesting question must be proposed, just how integral are vocals to the music we listen to everyday? Can an album such as this entertain us for such a long period of time or does it just come off as lacking?
Over the course of sixteen songs, Stinking Lizaveta fuses together various elements. From slow-paced doom sections to southern tinged stoner rock and just pure jam sessions consisting of a whole lotta groove and some dissonant, ringing harmonies. There are plenty of psychedelic, drifting passages, maneuvering us through one mood to another. The band creates varying atmospheres and the music is really all over the place. Some pieces are undoubtedly stronger than others and it seems obvious that while some songs are very tight jam sessions with the members playing off of each other, some tracks were very well thought out and organized from the start. "Staying Here" and its intro are the highlight cuts of the album. Beginning with a nice acoustic run, the song then begins to soar, the guitar taking the lead and putting the listener into another world. It's a track like this that confirms that when done right, any vocals added to this kind of music would just ruin the experience. Sometimes during the album there is a middle eastern feel, sometimes it puts you right on the Mississippi river and sometimes your walking through a forest on a damp, cold day. The atmosphere is there and over the course of the release, it grows and intensifies until you're purely caught up in it. Though, with this album you have to pay careful attention because at some point, your undoubtedly going to drift off into some other task and forget the album is even on, but if you do pay attention, this can be a rewarding record and I have a feeling that any musician is going to find at least some enjoyment in this release.
Now, to come back to my initial question, the answer is a little of both. The album runs a little bit long and not every song is as well-constructed as I would like them to be. The band is talented though and they can certainly craft a well-played instrumental piece, but sometimes there is a certain something lacking. Predominantly doomy and southern tinged, this will appeal most to fans of those genres, but it should also appeal to anyone looking for something experimental to stretch their abilities as a listener. In that case, Stinking Lizaveta has something just right for you.
7.5/10
Official Stinking Lizaveta Website
Official At A Loss Recordings Website
At A Loss Recordings-AAL 016-2004
By Josh Phillips
Stinking Lizaveta is a tough band to describe. While at first glance, their name and cover art may make you think "grind", they are actually a purely instrumental jam band. Caught Between Worlds is their fourth album and runs over an hour in length. So, an interesting question must be proposed, just how integral are vocals to the music we listen to everyday? Can an album such as this entertain us for such a long period of time or does it just come off as lacking?
Over the course of sixteen songs, Stinking Lizaveta fuses together various elements. From slow-paced doom sections to southern tinged stoner rock and just pure jam sessions consisting of a whole lotta groove and some dissonant, ringing harmonies. There are plenty of psychedelic, drifting passages, maneuvering us through one mood to another. The band creates varying atmospheres and the music is really all over the place. Some pieces are undoubtedly stronger than others and it seems obvious that while some songs are very tight jam sessions with the members playing off of each other, some tracks were very well thought out and organized from the start. "Staying Here" and its intro are the highlight cuts of the album. Beginning with a nice acoustic run, the song then begins to soar, the guitar taking the lead and putting the listener into another world. It's a track like this that confirms that when done right, any vocals added to this kind of music would just ruin the experience. Sometimes during the album there is a middle eastern feel, sometimes it puts you right on the Mississippi river and sometimes your walking through a forest on a damp, cold day. The atmosphere is there and over the course of the release, it grows and intensifies until you're purely caught up in it. Though, with this album you have to pay careful attention because at some point, your undoubtedly going to drift off into some other task and forget the album is even on, but if you do pay attention, this can be a rewarding record and I have a feeling that any musician is going to find at least some enjoyment in this release.
Now, to come back to my initial question, the answer is a little of both. The album runs a little bit long and not every song is as well-constructed as I would like them to be. The band is talented though and they can certainly craft a well-played instrumental piece, but sometimes there is a certain something lacking. Predominantly doomy and southern tinged, this will appeal most to fans of those genres, but it should also appeal to anyone looking for something experimental to stretch their abilities as a listener. In that case, Stinking Lizaveta has something just right for you.
7.5/10
Official Stinking Lizaveta Website
Official At A Loss Recordings Website
