New York City's very own The Golden Grass are back with their 4th studio album Life Is Much Stranger, out now on acclaimed psych/stoner/doom label Heavy Psych Sounds. The trio of Adam Kriney (drums, lead vocals), Michael Rafalowich (guitars, lead vocals), and Frank Caira (bass, backing vocals), over the course of their three previous releases, never failed to deliver enjoyable retro-flavored material that satisfied the itch for vintage classic '70s hard rock, '60s psych, a touch of doom/stoner, a dash of funk, and even some pop, and with Life is Much Stranger, they've done it yet again. Opener "Howlin'" rocks hard, the band even tossing in some fun Southern Rock flair and guitar hero moments, and throw in some cowbell on the beefy '70s heavy rock sounds of "Springtime on Standwoods". "Island In Your Head" brings to mind classic Thin Lizzy as well as Mick Ronson era-David Bowie, while "100 Arrows" is a pure, hard driving heavy rocker, the riffs hard and the cowbell again making an appearance. Rough, tough biker rock at its best! The more atmospheric, bluesier "Not Without Its Charm" allows the psych element to come out a bit more, Rafalowich's guitar riffs and snaking lead work a read highlight, and the vocal harmonies on the chorus are well done, and it's Status Quo meets Lynyrd Skynyrd meets Black Sabbath (!) on the engaging heavy boogie of "The Answers Never Know". The album concludes with the fast paced heavy rock of "A Peculiar Situation", which again reminds of early Bowie, and could have been a leftover from The Man Who Sold the World album, right down to Michael's glorious Mick Ronson inspired proto-metal riffing.
Now with four excellent albums under their belt, each one sounding a little bit different than the last, The Golden Grass are one of a handful of US bands who are cranking out some fantastic retro sounds for virtually any kind of rock music lover. This album 'rocks' in a big way, the songs are memorable, the guitar work is top notch, and just around 40-minutes long, once you get to the end of the last song, you'll want to play it all over again. Well done guys!
Track Listing
1.
Howlin 06:02
2.
Springtime on Stanwoods 04:54
3.
Island In Your Head 05:33
4.
100 Arrows 04:26
5.
Not Without It's Charm 05:13
6.
The Answers Never Know 05:29
7.
A Peculiar Situation 05:49
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