Meatbodies unique brand of psychedelic lo-fi fuzz has intrigued me for some time. It’s almost inevitable that comparisons to Ty Segall will be made with them being so closely affiliated to him. This is an unfair and lazy comparison however, especially with their 3rd album Alice, which encapsulates the Meatbodies sound so well.
There’s a unique blend of fuzz-tinged psychedelic pop, abrasive punk riffs and delicate vocal harmonic work to be found here, so it is a vastly interesting album which will reward repeated listens.
From the intro, ‘The Burning Field’, you are treated to an almost drone like guitar riff which gives way into ‘Kings’, which has phased guitar parts, huge drums and an enjoyably poppy chorus which is difficult to ignore.
Title track ‘Alice’ shows their vocal harmonic skills, it is a more laid back affair and sometimes wonders into the dream pop territory made famous by the likes of The Cocteau Twins.
I feel Meatbodies are at their best though when they go into almost stoner rock territory and bring out the bruising riffs, thumping drums and extended jamming sessions (which never feel overblown), and nowhere is this more pleasing than on the longest track of the album ‘Gyre’ which has all of the above, and to me, it manages to capture the essence of the band, and what they’re about. Surpisingly the outro to this sounds almost like Nirvana during their Nevermind days, with huge riffs and lightning fast drum fills.
An immensely enjoyable record, and one I shall be listening to for a while yet.
Review by Wayne Chuter
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