Spiritu

(MeteorCity)
by Craig Regala

A West Coast corollary to Abdullah, the same liquid heavy metal, melted grunge, acid rock probing run through a different geography. In Spiritu‘s case, out in the desert – although it’s not pastoral – there’s a meatier, city vibe that reads arena metal lineage in width and (occasionally) attack. Tunes exist as sketches, like a “head” in jazz, they kinda give you a direction wherein the music as it lives and breaths might wander.

OK, out of their element, the components of this disc would be a lumbering mess. Inside it, well, it’s like watching a manatee water ballet. These big things (sustain-R-us riffs, almost-Dio vocals) roll and swoop, and – no matter how gay it sounds – they soar… Yup, soaring manatees, right out there in the desert. Talk about your “acid rock,” who’s dosed now?

As I said, it ain’t about snappy tunes, the sound is a huge part of it, and producer Jack Endino is so locked onto what organic rock barf is, it sounds effortlessly upchucked. Maybe it was. Who cares? Me, ’cause he needs to keep doing it. As far as touch points, look for the commonality of “post-desert rock,” a Murry Head quote, and a Sir Lord Baltimore cover off Sir L’s second-best record. Like Abdullah, you know these guys are lifers, Iron Maiden back-patches on their jean jackets from 7th grade on up.
(PO Box 40322 Albuquerque, NM 87196)