Release
date: January 27th 2017. Label:Napalm Records: CD/DD/Vinyl
The
Coyote Who Spoke In Tongues – Tracklisting
1. Kylie
2. Green Machine
3. Give me 250 mL
4. The Hollingsworth
session
5. Space Cadet
6. Gardenia
7. El Rodeo
8. Argleben II
9. Court Order
Review
Well,
this new year of reviews could not start better.
I
had the chance to listen and review the very first acoustic album of
John Garcia, The Coyote Who Spoke in Tongues, released by Napalm
Records. John does not need any introduction. John is THE voice of
the desert and of an entire generation (and maybe more) of artists
who have found to deal with giants as Kyuss, Vista Chino, Slo Burn,
Unida, Hermano and so on. Anything John has done since the days of
Kyuss was a masterpiece, nothing more, nothing less. Thus, you will
excuse me if this review will be anything but impartial.
The
Coyote Who Spoke in Tongues is a very intimate experience of the
artist, floating between new songs and classics (revisited) Kyuss
masterpieces, such as Green Machine, Space Cadet, Gardenia, El Rodeo.
In this adventure, John Garcia was accompanied by the guitar of Ehren
Groban (War Drum), the bass of Mike Pygmie (Mondo Generator, You Know
Who) and the percussions of Greg Saenz (the Dwarves, You Know Who).
The
album opens with Kylie, which moves between lively atmosphere broken
by moments of greatest insight enclosing a romantic soul when, about
halfway, the song slows down and fills with more intimate atmosphere,
thanks also to the use of synths. Although the second track of the
album is a classic of Kyuss, Green Machine, I would go ahead and
leave later my comments on the revisited songs from the Kyuss era.
Give Me 250ml, the second unreleased of the album, reminds me to a
kind of country/blues Western song, while The Hollingsworth Session
dates back to more dynamic atmosphere seasoned by the use of piano.
Argleben II and Court Order, the last two unreleased of the album,
show the more thoughtful and relaxed acoustic side of the
songwriting, where slower rhythms transmit feelings of melancholy and
distension.
But...go
back to the old glories of Kyuss, totally revisited in their acoustic
version. Well, I never thought these songs could be so rearranged as
to seem, in some cases, completely different songs. When in late 1992
the Kyuss released Blues From The Red Sun, Green Machine, the second
track written by Brant Bjork was undoubtedly one of the reference
songs of the album. When in the same year it was released as single,
the back of the CD case said that “[...] They [aka Kyuss, nds]
certainly look like something straight out of a worn promo shot of
crazed sixties decibel barbarians, Blue Cheer and sound that almost
unbelievably [sic] at times like a street punk version of the
original Black Sabbath”.
Well,
the acoustic version of Green Machine is something completely
different. The skill of John in rearrange the old glories of Kyuss
made Green Machine a slow and deeply intimate song that, at least in
my case, excited enough to make me shudder. All remaining tracks move
in the same direction, and it was nice to see songs spanning from
Blues For The Red Sun to ...And The Circus Leaves Town.
The
Coyote Who Spoke in Tongues is, certainly, an album that old fans
will love for its ability to evoke the desert atmospheres that many
years ago came as a bolt from the blue, upsetting many of us. At the
same time, younger generations will appreciate the true meaning of
stoner/desert music, which goes behind tuning in drop C. It is a
matter of attitude.
Words
by Bruno Bellisario
Thanks to Mona and Andy
at Napalm Records for the promo. The Coyote Who Spoke In Tongues will
be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Napalm Records from January
27th 2017.
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