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Green Lung Free the Witch

Wed 21st February 2018


Pete

/incoming/greenfree.jpgA scene generic band name, naff album title and with sounds culled from obvious stoner, doom and grunge heavyweights, Green Lung on the surface are just another band trading in the rehash of our sound. There's even a topless woman on the cover, for fuck's sake.

Preconceptions they may be, but the band set them up so exactingly. Grumpy heading in, I try and shed the mood, and refocus back on to the music. From south London, Green Lung have put together a neat four track EP here, if you can see past the qualms.

Lady Lucifer has an open expansiveness that feels familiar to Stone Temple Pilots material, although through a stoner filter, beating to the same pulse as the best of sHeavy. Superficially, yeah it feels off, wrong perhaps, but the purely natural sensation, dropping any pretention, is enjoyment, locking me into their groove. The title track follows a Red Fang mold extremely closely. The piano synth underlay gives it a touch of Spiritual Beggars. Again, it sounds good, apart from the uninspired chorus, the solos and then chanting in the slowed latter half adding little.

There's nothing wrong with Living Fossil except for being bland, while the closer Older Than the Hills is like a grungy The Sword, decent, it has its moments, at its peaks reminiscent of the excellent Elephant Tree.

It is hard to separate my cynicism and my desire for progression in stoner and doom from the actual music. I'm not sure I should. It sounds fantastic, the production retaining the fuzz and mystery despite its boldness. And there are some real tunes here - this is definitely a talented band, with a true stoner rock heart. It just needs to lose the childish obedience to stereotype.

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