I hate on stoner rock, like, a lot. I like to think it's for good reason though I'm sure some of you don't like me for it. Still – there is a lot of untapped potential in the genre, and that's why I'm glad to be talking about Bright Curse. Their latest offering, Before The Shore is stoner rock done right. While there certainly is a bit of Sleep worship and gargantuan pentatonic bass lines giving the album form, the true meet and potatoes of the music comes from the eerie soundscapes that the band conjures.
Reminiscent at times of Led Zeppelin tracks like “No Quarter” or the more spaced out moments of Electric Wizard, this is a band who are unafraid to borrow from a vast catalog of rock and roll. While their sound certainly needs some evolving, they have managed to impress me because unlike so many of their peers they manage to appropriately distance themselves from their musical ancestors such that the entire record feels very organic and honest, a reflection of who the musicians are in this time and place.
With a tripped out Hammond organ banging out psychedelic melodies on top of rumbling strings Bright Curse manage to conjure up a sound of their very own with Before The Shore. The execution is strong (Though not perfect) and the songwriting, while a bit meandering, certainly understands where the band needs to move. It's rare that I will start to get stoked on a rock band these days,but Bright Curse hit all the right buttons, and they might be the face of a new generation.
Score: 7/10
