Plant Tribe are a guitar, bass, keyboards, saxophone, drums and vocals quintet from Long Beach, California who play a 70s inspired brand of Psychedelic infused Hard Rock. Late Noon is their debut album.
Opening track Past Life features a monster guitar and organ combo, with the guitar having a Hendrix flavor at first and then going Bluesy wah-Psych. The vocals are powerful and soulful and the overall sound brings to mind the Italian band Wicked Minds as a contemporary analogy. Worlds We Never Knew is similar but pleasantly surprised me with its 60s Garage edge, while still being molten hard rocking and soulfully Psychedelic. Eternal Villainy is like Deep Purple gone Psychedelic Blues, and indeed the vocals are as potent as Ian Gillan ever was though with a more Blues/Soul flavor. I like the easy-paced saucy attitude of Fish Bowl Blues, which blends Hard Rock, spaced out Psychedelia and Soul, and I really dig the emotionally charged finale, with its swinging sax and ripping guitar soloing. Gutterland is a short powerhouse swaggering rocker with an organ sound and groove that brings to mind Booker T. & the MGs gone heavy 70s Blues-Psych Rock. I love the combination of jamming wah’d Psych guitar, 60s organ, fuzz bass and boogie-woogie Blues vocals on the heavy hip shakin’ rocker Croakin’. Finally the 11 minute Mice opens with spacey atmospherics, trippy guitar and Eastern flavored drones over a rumbling rhythmic foundation. When the vocals kick in it adds the potent Blues rocking Soul vibe that has characterized the entire set. And when the band blast off we’re in full blown Blues infused Prog-Psych and Stoner-Soul mode with all musicians jamming away wildly yet cohesively.
Damn, that’s hot. I’ll bet these guys kick serious ass live. If you want to hear how smokin’ the 70s still sound, check out Plant Tribe.
The Late Noon LP comes in two flavors: One is black vinyl with double sided lyric/picture insert, and the other is a deluxe edition pressed on “milky clear vinyl with swamp green splatter”, and also includes an “Eternal Villainy” patch and 11 X 17 poster featuring artwork by cover artist Matt Sabbath. Both come with download codes.
For more information and to order visit the Space Chant Records web site at: http://spacechantrecords.bigcartel.com
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz