Fu Manchu
California Crossing
Mammoth
I don’t know what the heck the deal is with The Strokes when Fu Manchu is kicking the ass of the world with this new album of theirs. Well, I sure hope it kicks the world’s ass, because I would welcome a stoner rock/pop revolution on the mainstream airwaves right about now… With California Crossing, Fu Manchu has topped what I thought was pretty much untoppable in the world or stoner rock/metal. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, because the stoner bands out there will respond with even better albums in the days/months to come… But for the moment, let’s say California Crossing is the best blend of full-on power rock with the hard-edged stoner metal that makes this genre sound fresh even after a million plays. They don’t wait on the music, either. The first track, “Separate Kingdom” is a drag race across the county in a GTO convertible, followed by the appropriately named “Hang On.” From there it’s nine more songs that simply rock hard. The whole thing is like a blues-metal band covering the cool Grateful Dead songs like “St. Stephen.” The title track has that same inviting, amazing, cruising stoner metal power. I can’t figure it out, maybe another ten thousand listens…
Mammoth Records : http://www.mammoth.com • Fu Manchu: http://www.fu-manchu.com, http://www.californiacrossing.com
