ninehertz

There’s a boldness to Momovudu, a new entity to us out of Kansas City, that I really admire. They have a front-footed forwardness in their stoner rock but a variety too which is key to the fun to be found within this, their second record.

They set the scene on the excellent Comet Rider, with its catchy groove and the weight in the guitars. They even find time for some soloing at the end, completing a fantastic, strident stoner rock opener. That they follow this with an acoustic, Spanish-guitar type affair is a slight surprise.

The fuzz returns on Conjuration, where the vocals take an unexpected twist with a harsh, almost black metal bark to them, breathing life into the fairly standard stoner swing of the song up until that point. It is in these changes from the norm that Momovudu excel.

It’s not a single trick approach either. Contrast the air raid siren soundtracked Heavy Gas with its Weedeater-ish sludgey groove with the preceding El Camino, which is of a purer stoner rock feel, with nods to Clutch in the almost spoken word delivery and furthermore King of the Road-era Fu Manchu, inevitably, when the song title is sung.

As the chilled, melodic stoner of Shadow Above brings the album to its conclusion, there’s a real sense of satisfaction in what you’ve heard. There’s no radical shifts in approach here, but Momovudu showcase how by bringing in subtle changes and some great tunes, stoner rock can still be crafted into these wonderful shapes.