Guillermo Castro
Extended passages of mushroom-fried psychedelic rock, mammoth fuzz riffs, bombastic prog experimentation, funky flower children grooves, vintage ’60s pop overtures, jazzy interludes, gothic synth-pop — Atlanta duo Satisfiers of Alpha Blue tackle them all and probably more on their debut EP, Mystery Trampstamp Speedboat Vacation. If you’re thinking to yourself: damn dude, that sounds like a lot to absorb, you’d undoubtedly be correct; over the course of the record’s nearly half-hour long running time, the mood swings incessantly from moments of hypnotic immersion to varying degrees of overwrought tedium. This is not an easy record to digest, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth taking in.
Featuring former Nobra Noma frontman Michael Jordan on guitar, vocals, synth, reel-to-reel, and bass, and Leland Woodword handling drums and percussion, the pair forego any sense of minimalism that’s generally inherent in the rock duo format and deliver five complex, multi-layered songs that channel everything from the Beach Boys and the Beatles to Tame Impala and Queens of the Stone Age. The fruits of this dense amalgamation can best be found in the EP’s title track and lead cut, which opens as an acoustic campfire sing-along but soon morphs into muscular riff-laden rock before dissolving into a haze of stoney California pop. It’s an epic opener that probably runs a couple of minutes longer than it should, but there are enough moments of genuine exhilaration to keep things interesting.
It’s nearly impossible to talk about this record without discussing its myriad turns and ceaseless transitions. Although there is an atmosphere of sunny psychedelia that coats every track, the general mood is one of restlessness. And while that’s fine in spurts, tracks like “Sun Rooms” and “Staring out my window on a rainy day” seem to lack direction and struggle beneath the weight of their own complexity. In fact, Satisfiers are most captivating when they dial back their need to experiment and explore in favor of songs — the jaunty “Mirrors,” the dark and ethereal “Melanie’s Dream” — that are more simple and direct. Intricacy and innovation are all well and good, but sometimes you just want to get lost in a groove. Satisfiers of Alpha Blue have a lot of talent; they just need a little more restraint.
Satisfiers of Alpha Blue will perform tomorrow night, March 19, at the Sewing Room when they pay in support of Slang and Scary Drugs (Denver). Fellow local T0W3RS opens the show. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $5.
More Info
Bandcamp: satisfiersofalphablue.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @Satisfiers-of-Alpha-Blue-320956174770649