Brant Bjork

Gods & Goddesses

Written by: PP on 06/05/2010 14:32:02

Palm Springs, California is considered to be the birthplace of stoner rock, often also dubbed as desert rock especially when it comes to bands from that scene, and Brant Bjork is one of its finest produce. He was one of the founding members in both Kyuss AND Fu Manchu, two of the most famous stoner rock outfits out there. These days, however, he spends his recording hours as a solo artist, having picked up guitar and a microphone for his namesake band. In fact, he's been doing so for a long time, considering "Gods & Goddesses" is the 9th Brant Bjork album so far.

But unlike Kyuss and Fu Manchu, Brant Bjork has never achieved similar fame at least on this side of the pond, so I'll gladly admit this is my first Brant Bjork record. The style is somewhat more laid back and subtle than the bass-heavy droning of Kyuss and Fu Manchu, hence the tendency to label Bjork as a desert rock artist rather than stoner rock, which is often associated with aggressive guitars. Here, Bjork relies on sexy guitars that bring a distinct country blues vibe to mind alongside some imagery of cowboys and the good ol' wild west scenery. This is best exemplified on a song like "Radio Mecca" and "Little World", which inevitably bring that low desert style landscape into mind. There's even some added psychedelia to make things interesting every now and then....and am I completely wrong in thinking that The King himself has been an influence on this record?

There are a couple of pieces that stand above the others on the disc. One of them is "Blowin' Up Shop", which takes a heavy use of groove and a declining scale similar to some Sublime songs on "Sublime", plus a heavy vocal effect that makes Bjork's voice echo around the desert atmosphere nicely. "Somewhere Some Woman" is another sparkling moment that references the late 90s sound of Lenny Kravitz in that the guitars are played with feeling. Overall, however, the record is just 32 minutes long and doesn't have enough strong tracks to fully capture my attention, so it's not going to land on the high end of our rating scale. But if you're looking for some cool, sexy music for just chilling out, then "Gods & Goddesses" will be a good choice.

Download: Somewhere Some Woman, Blowin' Up Shop
For the fans of: Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Lenny Kravitz
Listen: Myspace

Release date 26.03.2010
Cargo Records / Low Desert Punk

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