I have never wavered in my opinion about the auditory delight of the Mezzanine Owls. The Mezzanine Owls had me after the first few notes of "Lightbulb" from their album Slingshot Echoes. I would proceed to follow the flightpath of the Mezzanine Owls as I caught a slew of shows dating back to June 2007 at Little Radio. Some other show reviews include a Spaceland show with Eskimohunter, an appearance at the Troubadour opening for the 1990's, dropping by Long Beach with a show at the Prospector, haunting the Echo and another guest appearance at Spaceland. Their relatively new EP/7 Inch album is available through Jax Art records which is run by Jax of Rock Insider.
Elements of:
Pavement, Radiohead, Autolux, Jesus & The Mary Chain, Flaming Lips
Chemical Components:
Fender Telecaster Deluxe, Korg MS-2000, Earth shaking Gibson Hollowbody Bass, Deluxe Memory Man, Roland Space Echo, Jack Burnside's distinctive voice
Lab Report:
The 7 inch tracklist includes the songs "Snowglobe" and "Temporary Health". The Digital EP adds the tracks "Drift" and "Ghostship"
I remember hearing "Snowglobe" early on as one of their new songs in the prior shows and enjoying the track. Jack Burnside's voice is the focal point of the song as the surrounding swirling guitars and keyboards add vibrant colors to their sonic canvas. The sonic hook for me that stands out on this track is the how smoothly the guitars drop in and out of the song.
"Temporary Health" melts courtesy of the twin overdrive/fuzz dust guitar attack of Jack Burnside and Jonathan Zeitlin. When this song is played live, Dan Horne usually adds a descending bass riff during the guitar solo that adds extra weight to the song. The essence of their live performance is captured in this recording.
"Drift" is the more jangle laced track that slow cooks before the guitars churn near the 1:30 minute mark. I enjoyed the addition of Pauline's backing vocals on the track as Jonathan nails another guitar solo.
"Ghost Ship" is a haunting fast paced track dashed with metallic guitar slide work and cymbal smashing courtesy of Pauline Mu (Drums). I have witnessed Jonathan Zeitlin do various improvised guitar solos and they always manage to fit the context of the song.
The EP is the ultimate tease as it is over before you know it clocking in around fifteen minutes. The Mezzanine Owls have a coveted upcoming residency at Spaceland in May. I hope they have another release in the works for their loyal fans.
To download from itunes: Click here.
To download from Amazon: Click here.
To get direct from Jax Art Records: Click here.
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