When you read the backstory of The Druggles on the Cubby Control Records website, it’s easy to consider the San Francisco-based band a parody -- a Spinal Tap for the so-called “garage-prog/conspiro-rock scene:”
“The Druggles began as a Beatles cover band, replacing the Beatles lyrics with their own lyrics about drugs and conspiracy theories. … Eventually, The Druggles began writing their own music, narrowing the subjects of their songs to U.S. wars for money and oil; the influence of fraternal organizations, political think tanks and intelligence networks on contemporary and historical events; economic totalitarianism; faked space explorations; and the worldview forced upon humans by government, media and religion.”
Well, regardless of whether you believe everything you read, you can believe the music you hear on what is purported to be The Druggles debut album, Spacegod Pills. The is a 36-minute slab of charming melodies, off-kilter harmonies and an old-school dose of never-take-yourself-too-seriously. (And the album packaging is clever, too.).
Opener “Step Outside” merges jam-band tendencies with power-pop sensibilities, while “Forkhead” fulfills that “garage-prog” tag. On “La Luz,” vocalist Doug Welch strikes a Kevn Kinney tone, steering the song's lazy-afternoon vibe toward Drivin’ N Cryin’ territory. Then there’s “O.I.F” -- a bouncy ode to 2003’s Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Bush Administration’s attempt to rid the world of Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction.
Too bad Welch reportedly hasn’t been heard from since someone last saw him fleeing for Mexico after completing Spacegod Pills's six-year recording process; that means there probably won’t be a follow-up record. If that is, indeed, the case, bow your head for a moment of silence -- for we will likely never hear the likes of The Druggles again.
At least they left us with this bizarre gem of an album.
Track Listing:
1. Step Outside
2. Forkhead
3. No Fly Zone
4. Blood and Treasure
5. La Luz
6. Sky Father
7. Spaceshot to Nowhere
8. O.I.F.
9. Los Manos Invisibles (Bonus Track)
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