Low Flying Hawks - Anxious Ghosts (2019)
Following up on their two existing
albums after a year away, the duo of Low Flying Hawks deliver five
songs on this EP, leading with the grimy and down-cast blues of
“Night Flight”. Taking about two minutes to paint a picture with
acoustic strings, somber voices, and incidental noises, the band
makes a turn into similar but distinct territory with the follow-up
track “Somewhere (Part 1)”. Branching out into more of a desert
rock vibe, the pair take their time to thoroughly establish the
atmosphere and a backing beat before bringing in any words. Despite
the low-key nature, there's a palpable feel of rising tension, from
the abrupt twangs of the guitar to background tones and increasing
weight on the drum-hits.
It's essentially a five-minute
preamble, leading directly into “Somewhere (Part 2)”, which rides
the elevated intensity right into a crash of bass and firmly fuzzy
stoner rock grooving. Building, reinforcing, and diving into the
main riff makes up most of this song's nearly eight-minute run, and I
expect it'll be the high point for a lot of listeners. Having set
that benchmark on the EP, though, the band goes even harder with the
next tune, “Hollow Grasp”, bringing a harsher edge to the guitar
work and vocals while maintaining the bleary fuzz miasma. Some slick
echo effects applied to the singing make things even more
disorienting, as does the tail-end switch back to the gentleness of
the EP's opener. That change-up flows pretty smoothly into the last
of the songs, “Doors to Nowhere”, which builds from an early
stoner/desert rock groover into a heated and rambunctious blazerr,
before easing itself out onto a cloud of static.
As much fun as the individual songs
are, it's maybe even more enjoyable for the way the band maps out the
rise and drop of energy over the EP. In any event, it's a cool
experience with lots of little details to savor, and vinyl copies are
going fast. Take half an hour to check it out, and see how it grabs
you.
~ Gabriel
For Fans Of; Attalla,
Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters, Kyuss, Powered Wig Machine, Stone
Machine Electric
~
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