OK, a bit of an explanation here.....one of my all time faves is the legendary stoner rock monster called Datura, they also morphed into Arc of Ascent, they made a pair of albums, featured here long ago (I'm sure they are gone, the masterpiece is titled "Allisone", the follow up was "Visions For the Celestial".....both stoner classics, maybe if you're good I'll put them up again (a member of the band wrote me long agao and thanked me for sharing the albums......what? he didn't want to sue me? or kick my ass? or screw my Mom?....nope, just thanked me for sharing those two wonderful albums (also the fab Arc of Ascent Album)....
Anyway, this is NOT about that band.....if you were to do a search, you'd find that there are several bands that use the name "Datura" or some form thereof.......which brings us to now, as John N sends us a pair of albums from the band Datura4......I didn't know what to make of them at first, they are from Austraila, and I gave them a listen, as I thought they might have something to do with "my" Datura......well, they don't, but these albums don't deserve to be dissed......good hard rock n roll, (not NEARLY as hard rocking as MY Datura, but little is).....this is not really "stoner rock", more just hard rock with a sort-of almost poppish edge to it.......AND, I like it. These are a pair of fairly solid discs, might as well do yourself a favor and check them out....."Demon Blues" is from 2015, has quite a few decent riff-rockers, "Hairy Mountain" from this year, heavies up the sound a bit, it's good, it's not MY Datura, but NO ONE is.....a pair of good albums here, compliments of John N......if you are a fan of hard rock in general, these should get it done for you.....I'm listening right now, and I'm digging them.
HAIRY MOUNTAIN-01 Fools Gold Rush/02 Trolls/03 Uphill Climb/04 Mary Caroll Park/05 Hairy Mountain/06 Greedy World/07 Confide In Me/08 Too Much (or Not Enough)/09 Something to Hide/10 Broken Path
demon
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Australians are a people who traditionally prefer their rock & roll hearty and full-bodied, and Datura4, a new combo featuring several veterans of the Aussie rock scene, certainly seem to bear this out. On their debut album, 2015's Demon Blues, Datura4 reel off a broad range of stylistic influences that almost entirely reach back to hard and heavy sounds that enjoyed their heyday before 1974 -- high-swagger boogie and blues-rock, psychedelic guitar exploration, simple first-generation hard rock, and just the slightest dash of garage rock sneer and fuzz for flavoring. Given the history of the guys on board -- guitarist and lead singer Dom Mariani was a founding member of the Stems, guitarist Greg Hitchcock worked with You Am I and the New Christs, bassist Stu Loasby was in Ripples Souls, and Warren Hall played drums with the Drones -- one would certainly expect Datura4 to rock hard, and they do. But unlike a lot of bands with a taste for vintage heavy sounds, Datura4 also know when to apply a light touch, and the greasy slink of "Another Planet" and the stretched-out jamming on "Love to Burn" are the work of a band that's learned something about dynamics, with players who can turn it up or dial it back as the circumstances dictate. But even when Hitchcock is surveying the universe on the more psych-leaning tunes, Datura4 know how to get to the point, and the jams manage to maintain a healthy focus while rockers like "Journey Home," "Out with the Tide," and the title tune are dirty-denim rockers that get the job done with plenty of attitude and not too much fuss. If Datura4 could stand to work on their songwriting -- their melodies are good, but lyrically this doesn't break any sort of ground -- the band is tight and knows how to deliver, and if you're looking for some kicks circa 1970, Demon Blues serves up big portions without a lot of filler.
ReplyDeleteHi, these are good little albums, nothing ground breaking but really well done, thanks for posting. However my interest is piqued by the Arc of Ascent and "original"Datura stuff you mention in the article. As these have now gone is there any chance you could re-upload?? many thanks and keep up the excellent work cheers phil
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