Review Summary: Hey, Monkey Boy, why are you unemployed? 'Coz I'm jammin'
Every musical scene has a figure that exemplifies everything from attitude to musical talent or reputation, of what that said scene stands for. Heavy metal has Ozzy, reggae has Bob Marley, stoner rock has Brant Bjork. Bjork was there at the humble beginnings of the genre which took the bluesy roots of hard rock, infused it with the hazy psychedelic of the 70’s and enhanced it into a gritty, rough, unique style that perfectly simulates both the vast openness and the heat of the Califonian desert. Already a major creative force during his tenure at Kyuss, Brant soon became a one-man music machine over the years. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, he can do it all and does it all for almost two decades now.
Cranking out eleven studio albums since 1999, Brant has been enjoying a fruitful and productive solo career in addition to his other work, and nearly every single one of them is a well-crafted enjoyable gift for stoner rock fans. 2003’s “Keep Your Cool” marks itself as easily one of his most accessible and catchiest album. A direct continuation of the raw, straight-to-the-point rocker that was the “Brant Bjork and The Operators” record, it also brings back some of the more relaxed, levitating aura of “Jalamanta” resulting into a best-of-both worlds scenario.
Starting out with funky guitar rhythms and congas “Hey, Monkey Boy” is a short and entertaining opener that sets up the stage to the other tracks. The songwriting for the most part is as about simple as it can get, with mid-paced, often blues/funk influenced riffs leading them, accompanied with Bjork’s relaxed, swagger-filled vocals. But don’t mistake this for laziness because these are well-written and effective riffs that are delivered with crystal clear precision. Thus with songs “Johnny Called” or “Gonna Make The Scene” Brant proves that you don’t have to go for 10+ minute long, abstract feedback-driven jamming to deliver good stoner rock.
A good head-banger? A soulful ballad? A relaxing, acoustic guitar piece? “Keep Your Cool” has all of them. No to mention sweet guitar licks, a beefy production and a great, positive vibe that oozes from the 70’s and weed (especially in the Cream-like “I Miss My Chick”) With eight songs and 33 minutes it’s short, sweet, delivers the punch and keeps up its replay value high. “Keep Your Cool” is like every Brant Bjork record: The honest sound and music of a dude that you would want to hang out and party with.
