Portland, Maine's Objet, Dan Paulsen (drums); Greg Burns-Jackson (bass); Andy Beavis (guitar); Keith Hebert (guitar) and Kris Milo (vocals), first came to Desert Psychlist's attention via their debut EP "The Space That Binds Us" which we reviewed on these pages (here) where we described the band as "not quite the finished article" but who "with the right breaks and a willingness to work hard could have a bright future". The band must have listened because their next release "Inanimate" was a much more rounded and polished affair that saw the band really pushing the proggish element of their sound to the fore, still heavy and still worshipping at the altar of the riff but with little more emphasis on songcraft. The band have just released their new album "Objet" an album that sees them really coming into their own as a band and taking one more huge step towards that bright future we predicted for them.
Drums and dual guitar crunchiness introduce first track "Table For One" then the bass and vocals join the fray and its all aboard the party bus to destination last note, along the way picking up elements of hard rock, desert rock and prog metal, Milo taking the role of the tour guide at the front of the bus spouting pearls of wisdom in strong clear tones over a groove that twists and turns like a contortionist on steroids. "One Wolf" is next its initial bluesy intro is soon replaced by a fractured and twitchy groove that is driven by hard by Paulsen's busy drumming and Burns-Jackson's low booming bass and is given wings by Beavis and Hebert's highly impressive guitar work, an intriguing mixture of harmonic synchronicity and dissonant asynchronism, Milo adding to this delightful cacophony a powerful vocal telling us that he has "faced many trials" while admitting "there’s still so much that I don’t know". "Out Of The Light" begins life quite dark and doomic but then in comes Milo with a vocal you just cannot help wanting to join in with, Desert Psychlist has to admit to hearing an element of Sweden's Ghost in the way this song is structured, not so much in its musical attack but most definitely in the execution of its vocal melody. "Lost In Place" follows and boasts yet another superb Milo vocal this time though set against a backdrop that when not interrupted by its vocals has a slight post-metallic feel. "Next To Nothing" sits its vocal on a groove that is a touch more straightforward to that which has gone before while "Perpetual Drift" could be described as low key proto doomic if it were not for the quirkiness of its guitar parts which to these ears sit in the ball park of QOTSA-esque. For "Race For The Sun" Objet brandish their Sabbath worship for all to hear, the song beginning its journey in the territory of Sabbath's first album but then gradually shifting up to a sound more akin to the British bands pre-stoner "Master of Reality" period, albeit tinted with that all prevailing air of quirkiness that Objet have made their signature. "Odd Magic" closes proceedings and mixes elements of doom, quirky desert rock and prog metal all together in one place to create an ever shifting, never sedentary, call to arms that sees Milo telling us "there are no stars and in the dark we play with fire" which is then followed up by him inviting us to "come forth and stoke it higher", an invitation hard to turn down.
Objet's self-titled second album is one of those releases you know, after just one listen, you'll be coming back to again and again. This is angular, jagged, heavy, swaggering music played by phenomenally gifted musicians who understand songcraft and are respectful of each others parts in that process, you will find no individual showboating here just five guys all working hard together to make each song the best that it can possibly be.
Check it out ....
