Malachai
Ugly Side of Love
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Label: Invada
How is that contemporary retro acts, as numerous and aesthetically similar as they are, create such distinctly nostalgic tones? Malachai's surname-less bandmates Gee and Scott dish out a heaping plate of psychedelic rock that extracts its influences from their favorite used record shop's acid rock, garage rock and obscuro bargain bins. Ugly Side of Love is a tour of the 1960s, and the duo doesn't discriminate. It's as much Charles Manson as it is the Stooges, as much Syd Barrett as Iron Butterfly. But the clincher is Geoff Barrow's production. The Portishead co-founder, so impressed with the Bristol duo he signed them to his Invada label, preserves their intended '60s aesthetic with a very polished lo-fi approach that subtly melds his trip-hop imprint with Malachai's fractured classic rock compositions.
"Warriors" and its humble stoner groove kicks things off with a well-rounded palette of influences including but not limited to The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Grand Funk Railroad and even a few subtle shades of Bob Marley. Gee's deep-cutting rasp, sounding like a more confident and playful John Kay (Steppenwolf), matches the sludgy guitars on "Shitkicker" and the inevitable, potential hit "Snowflake." While the first half of Ugly Side lingers in Stooges territory, Gee and Scott deceitfully spin us into more capricious '60s fare halfway into the album. "Blackbird" is an organ-based acid trip that straddles the border of haunting harmony and cacophony. "Moonsurfin'" and "Meechs' Theme" provide a mellow acoustic break from the romp, while Barrows' contribution "Only For You" wraps up the subdued trifecta with his mastermind dub. Make no bones about it, Ugly Side is a grab bag of psychedelic greatness. Even the most outlandish tracks, like the disjointed White Album homage "Snake Charmer," piece snuggly into Ugly Side's puzzle.
Comparisons aside, Malachai have accomplished the most challenging feat facing them since day one: they've created a signature sound of their own. Despite their own allegiance to some brilliant influences, Gee and Scott have manipulated their musical pilferage into something greater. Songs like "Snowflake" and "Lay Down Stay Down" are fit for contemporary counterculture film, and if this gripping debut is any indication, they're apt to prove themselves as Generation Z's Easy Rider.
by Jory Spadea
