Cult instrumental power-trio Stinking Lizaveta are back again with 7th Direction,
their (surprise, surprise) seventh album, and the band are clearly not
short on ideas, sounding more invigorated than ever. Bringing together
elements of funk, metal, punk, jazz and blues with the same kind of
cavalier oddball brilliance as Frank Zappa, Stinking Liz are a really
unique band whose music possesses a truly bombastic groove and a
freewheeling spirit of improvisation and fun. There’s a lot to like
about these thirteen songs and the band have such a diverse sound that
there’s bound to be something here for everyone to sink their teeth
into.
Stinking Liz can do heavy but what’s great about them is
that they also infuse their music with emotion and humour – even when
the band is rocking-out hard you can pretty much hear the wry smile on
their faces. Opening track “The Seventh Direction” is almost comically
bombastic, entertainingly badass – the first ascending riff is so
pompous that it sets the mood for the rest of the song, Alexi
Papadopoulos’ walking bassline providing the perfect grounding for his
brother Yanni’s virtuoso, psychedelic guitar workouts. Elsewhere, “Moral
Hazard” has a slight desert-scene flavour, recalling Queens of the
Stone Ages’ early material, while “Burning Sea Turtles” is technical,
shamelessly proggy and relentlessly changeable, not giving you a moment
to second-guess what might happen next.
But there are also surprising moments of calm and cool on the album
as well. One of the album’s highlights, “The Space Between Us”, is
equally menacing, darkly comical and surprisingly romantic, with bluesy
minor 7ths contributing to the unusual emotional pull of the song. You
can hear similarities with some of the Louisville post-rock bands,
suggesting Slint and Rodan may be an influence on these guys. On a
similar note, final track “Johnny Otis” is one of the least complicated
but most memorable songs on the album – a jazzy progression of chords
repeat all the way through, ending the often-chaotic album on an almost
contemplative note.
Of course, it doesn’t really need to be said (especially considering
the band has been together since 1994) but the musicianship and
band-dynamic on display on 7th Direction is nothing short of
sublime. No member is any more or less important than another; yes,
Yanni’s guitar solos come blasting out of the speakers with clockwork
regularity, but all three members shine equally bright. Alexi’s bass
playing is hugely important to the band’s sound – his upright electric
bass leads many of the songs along (see the jazzy, improvisational
“Stray Bullet”) but he also contributes deceptively complicated rhythms
to many sections. Likewise, Chesire Agusta’s drumming is fantastic
throughout, whether maintaining a steady beat amidst the chaos or adding
to the maelstrom with a flurry of tom and snare hits. Yanni’s
beyond-impressive guitar playing is really the icing on the cake – the
guitars are so vocal you can see why they never bothered with a singer.
Like their pals Fugazi, Stinking Lizaveta are a punk band who refuse
to be limited by the genre’s – and sometimes, the fans’ – stubborn
musical parameters. The result is an intoxicating blend of snarling punk
attitude, shifty post-rock dynamics and pure stoner head-banging riffs.
They follow whatever musical whim takes them and rarely does it sound
thrown together or cluttered. True, one or two tracks go by without
leaving much of an impression (or at least not enough to distinguish
themselves from the pack) but as a whole, 7th Direction is an
extremely strong album. Unsurprisingly, it’s not an album that says a
huge amount but it does reaffirm that Stinking Lizaveta are one of the
most interesting and quirky heavy instrumental bands around.
[Originally published by the Sleeping Shaman, 04/10/2012]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/s/stinking-lizaveta-7th-direction-cd-lp-2012/
[Later reposted by Roadburn Festival as their 'Album of the Day', 07/10/2012]
http://www.roadburn.com/2012/10/album-of-the-day-stinking-lizaveta-7th-direction/
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