Review Summary: A 70's psychedelic journey through the galaxies, the album is exquisite and parallel to the beginning of a new day.
Home sweet home. You just made it back from a passage through time. You may be finding yourself a little dazed from the trip you just took. Let’s have a quick playback, so adjust your seat and grab that smoke you’re thinking about; those were some heavy vibrations.
The last documented voyage was in 2015, with not one but two trips in the year with your captain, Black Pussy, made up of five boogie-loving psychedelic-rock men who reside on the planet called Portland, Oregon. The trip was a lucid dream; you for a moment thought you had control over. A well-developed variation of chords, an abundance of bass, and drumming match the speed of this journey. You may have thought for a second it was coming to an end when you hit the five-minute mark on the titled track of Magic Mustache, but your journey continues to “Where the Eagle Flies”, the second album released in 2015.
Now there you are, with a cigarette still in your hand and having a hard time moving your limbs. It’s time to get up, for you are prepared for the next trip and we are now boarding their newest album Power.
The beginning of the track that introduces the album is exquisite and parallel to the beginning of a new day; while at the same time inducing feelings of levitation until you rise to track two of Power and are thrown into the new galaxy of music it creates.
Black Pussy has gone through an evolution of sound and technique. Their sound has been mastered, the vocals clearer than its predecessors. It is vulnerable and stands in a way that says, “Here I am”. It continues to deliver a subconscious message while simultaneously expressing itself in a louder voice so you can really grasp what they are wanting to tell you.
I was given this album while attending a show in Carlsbad, California which was over a month before it will be released on May 30th. I knew asking to be given something so important was asking for a lot of trust to be bestowed on me. It’s quite clear to many how much work these guys that call themselves Black Pussy put into their craft. Power has become the album that I cannot put down. While feeling a strong connection between Magic Mustache and Power, I found myself playing the titled track of Magic Mustache and then immediately starting Power. It is an expedition, to say the least. The beginning radiates with love and prepares you to get your boogie on, which is nothing short from what they do for their audience during a live performance.
I played the album a few times before I really focused on the lyrics, wanting to embrace the experience and the trip without dissecting it. While dancing to the plethora of rhythm, there came the verse “Last night she got a slice of paradise,” which brought me back again to previous albums; as if I was in a dream and now Power woke me up speaking of its ventures. Dustin Hill, the lead vocalist, and guitarist of the band continues to sing the track Slice of Paradise with the lyrics “said she’s coming twice”. I found myself with a grin, for that is exactly how this album will feel for many. The sound in Power is balanced and it gives you the opportunity to feel for yourself, and they just help by being a guide.
Power is an album where many will find themselves indecisive of their favorite track. Every song is as unique as the next and has something different to offer. They all have something you’ll fall in love with, whether it’s Dustin Hill’s lyrics, Aaron Poplin’s accelerated bass in “Home Sweet Home”, Keith O'Dell’s funk in the keyboarding, Ryan McIntire’s well-crafted riffs, or last but certainly not least Dean Carroll’s drumming that gets you shaking your hips and moving your feet. This album is a concoction of sounds that know when to give you more and when to pull back and show something new.
“Home Sweet Home" is a song that was released shortly after their canceled show in Portland, Oregon on March 17th, that was going to kick off their tour. A place they called home that sadly had a change of heart. The video has a powerful message and the music delivers that eloquently. This is the song that tightens its grip in the album. Emotions are high and there is so much eagerness that you can’t help but close your eyes and feel a slight quiver in your lip. But then it quickens and gives you a sense that you are fighting through this. You will notice a familiar song that was before released on the album On Blonde in 2013, with changes that are subtle and some that are not. This song is the true example of their mastering of sound. Tiny modifications made to the song once called “Can’t take anymore” now called “Indians”. It brings new elements while removing others.
Elaborate observations can be made about this 2017 album that will be released in one week. I myself had a couple questions for Black Pussy and their direction with it, including where the name for their new creation came to life. I walked away with more of an understanding that their intentions are highly misinterpreted by the public. The name Power can be taken into all of us. This can be something to grow from, to learn from, to rebuild those, and what that has been destroyed. Hill stated, “You’re trying to call something positive negative,” when we discussed how society today judges the creators of art, and the art itself. McIntire also expressed “turn the negativity into a positive,” when I asked about the name, message, and art. If those that have found themselves attacked or insulted by “five white male” musicians that they have been described as only being, with the name Black Pussy, my advice to you is just listen. I found there were no ill-intentions, mockery or anything boisterous about the choosing of the name. Hill explained, “it was like falling in love, like boom, this is the one.”
This Portland, Oregon band wants to share a gift that has been born into the form of music, and Power is its name. There is a large crowd that supports Black Pussy and looks deeper within, and it’s only getting bigger. The next tour will take lift shortly and Power is ready to be shipped and set to be released. The band finds themselves set on stage looking out at a crowd often elated by the unique and groovy tunes that make up this album. With Instruments in hand, Black Pussy is elevated by the love from their fans as each show closes with the audience chanting their name, having surpassed the pettier controversies and moved on to appreciate the music for what it really is. The audience loves the album and they’re shouting, “Encore.”
