Labels: At A Loss – Monotreme
Review by: Kunal Nandi
And so, the inexorable passage of time continues, and yet anothing classy Stinking Lizaveta record drops into my lap. Album number five for these Philadelphia nutjobs sounds remarkably similar to all their other albums, but as with Lungfish and Battletorn, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. What SL deal in is riff-based grooving instrumental rock with plenty of jazzy leanings and twiddles, with the guitarist going on particularly inspired wah-fuelled flights of fantasy whilst the rhythm section (featuring someone playing the more traditional double bass interestingly enough) keeps everything nailed down and motoring. There are faster numbers, there are slower numbers, some get furious while others are more introspective. It runs the gamut basically, and despite all the noise, they still retain a thoroughly joyous vibe. The live setting is still the real place to experience them though.