Two albums by two queer monikered bands. These kinds of pseudo funny wordjokers from Eastern Europe make you wonder about judging books by their covers. Because pinpointing music should always be managed through the ears, so much becomes evident while spinning both Somali Yacht Club’s The Sea and Weedpecker’s III.
Somali Yacht Club: The Sea
Starting off with Somali Yacht Club’s sophomore effort, which is an exercise in patience that conjures up images of a vast ocean: deep, dark, and dangerously serene. Channeling Panopticon-era Isis The Sea feels like a true post-stoner album. There is not a hint of the blues to be found here, yet there is plenty of melancholy and depth.
Fuzzy basslines and shrieking waves of guitar do remind of a former affiliation with the green-smoked genre, but the sedated vocal performance, and the postrocky stretching of the songs clearly turn this into a different beast altogether. Intriguing rather than stunning, but captivating enough to keep the the attention strings bow-tight. Somali Yacht Club has delivered one of the most interesting releases of the year already. It is a band clearly unafraid to explore new waters.
Weedpecker: III
Weedpecker from Poland feel somehow more steady and established on their third effort, simply called III. Their fuzzy Elder-inspired slab of psychedelic Floyd-rock dares to be subtle and sparkly, which feels like a breath of fresh air for a genre that does not hold “less is more” as a part of their ethos.
I guess the coolest aspect of III is the way it seamlessly melts its stoner heaviness into a more liquified Tame Impala-esque sound. Personally I have always kind of missed the “balls” in said Ozzy psychpop wizard, so Weedpecker feels like a missing link of sort. Like I missed the balls and needed the pecker…whut?! Again, it may be very understandable to dismiss these record for their rather silly namesakes. However it would be a grave mistake to do so. Let it be a lesson not to judge any more books by their covers in 2018. You can reap that policy’s first rewards by giving Somali Yacht Club and Weedpecker the time they well deserve.