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Warlocks (The) - The Mirror Explodes
| Allmusic |
| As old members drop out and new members fill the vacant spots by Bobby Hecksher's side, the Warlocks' family tree grows larger with every album. Even after the departure of drummer Jason Anchondo -- the longest running member behind Hecksher and the only other musician credited on the last album, Heavy Deavy Skull Lover -- The Mirror Explodes sounds quite similar to its successor. You could even think of this album as a "Heavy Deavy, Pt. 2," which may seem strange since the Warlocks are now a completely reworked five-piece with three guitar players. The fact that newcomers Rees, McBride, Risher, and Mustachio haven't affected the direction just serves as proof that Hecksher is the true mastermind behind the group; a puppetmaster who directs the action in the same way that Billy Corgan commands all of the Smashing Pumpkins' material, or how Anton Newcombe directly controls the Brian Jonestown Massacre (a band that Hecksher was a part of, incidentally). Newcombe and Hecksher share a few common traits, actually. As well as a nearly uncountable list of past bandmates, they both have an affinity for Brit-pop and shoegaze, which Newcombe illustrated wonderfully on My Bloody Underground. Referencing My Bloody Valentine, the Velvet Underground, and (more so than ever) the Jesus and Mary Chain, The Mirror Explodes is a lot like My Bloody Underground, with vast layers of whirling, reverberated, whisper-soft vocals buried under trebly guitar buzz and monotonous grooves of bass and drums. Engineer Rod Cervera deserves credit for maintaining a consistent sound between the albums, but where Heavy Deavy Skull Lover had an uneven quality, and played like one long singular-sounding composition startled with big, stoner rock grooves, the songs here all sound very samey. Not to say it's an easy listen. It's a dark one, and many songs lose themselves in sleepy, drawn-out droning. However, extended jams should be nothing new to those well-versed in the Warlocks catalog, and the hot spots are excellent tracks that capitalize on Hecksher's newfound affinity for creamy wistfulness. "The Midnight Sun," "There Is a Formula to Your Despair," and "Static Eyes" all continue the feel of the last record's standout, "So Paranoid," and similarly, rekindle the warm, washy spirits of Ride's "Vapor Trail" and Galaxie 500's "Blue Thunder." No easy feat....full text |
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| Drownedinsound |
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With an ever-changing line-up and a history of chemical indulgence many would balk at, it's something of an achievement that The Mirror Explodes, The Warlocks fifth album, also marks a decade of existence for the band. Having cut his teeth as a member of Anton Newcombe's travelling circus The Brian Jonestown Massacre, main Warlock Bobby Hecksher is no stranger to upheaval; the fact at least one band member has constantly changed on every successive record is perhaps to be expected. Indeed, there is no such thing as a "classic" Warlocks line-up, a factor made more apparent by the consistently high standards set by each of their releases. Although possibly the shortest long player they've ever constructed, The Mirror Explodes is no less endearing. Whereas previous albums Surgery and Heavy Deavy Skull Lover both seemed to focus on skullcrushingly loud atmospherics, this feels like more of a comedown, a document to accompany the aftermath of a psychedelic trip to enlightenment, or as some might say, just another average day in the life of The Warlocks....full text |
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| Urb |
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I feel bad calling The Warlocks a jam band because they do not conform to the jam band stereotype. But with each track running just short of four and a half minutes, their latest installment, The Mirror Explodes is an epic, to say the least. Instead, I’ll call them dramatists, with their play being The Mirror Explodes. If there was ever such a thing as too much distortion, The Mirror Explodes might embrace this description. But in no way is this a bad thing, because just as they straddle the line between enough and far too much fuzz, The Warlocks effectively shift the tone to a more relaxed, soothing mood. If you listen to The Mirror Explodes as a one seamless, drug-fueled track, you will find The Warlocks to be experts in crafting emotion and drama, complete with incessant guitar fuzz and Bobby Hecksher’s enticing Thom Yorke-like vocals. Hecksher may not have Yorke’s falsetto or vast vocal range, but his delivery is sincere, almost as if each word is a plea to understand his expression. Hecksher’s melancholic state on The Mirror Explodes forces one to sympathize, and ultimately connect with each instrument as its own entity: the rolling drum patterns, the brick wall of overdriven guitars, the tense, punchy basslines. When these sounds blend, it’s an emotional mess, encouraging you to decipher which emotion The Warlocks are beating you over the head with. “Frequency Meltdown” is a powerful finale as it leads into the requiem of the final track, “Static Eyes”. The Mirror Explodes opens with an energetic punch, closes with optimistic lamentation*, and in the process evokes close to every conceivable human emotion....full text |
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