If you like dirty low down psychedelic blues rock then I would suggest that you are going to love this third album by Early Mammal, on the ever reliable Riot Season Records. Early Mammal seem to have adopted that sort of no holds barred psychedelic blues rock aesthetic that at the same time puts a huge smile on your face and has you gawping with awe at the whole deep grooviness of the whole affair. 
This is certainly the case on the opening track, ‘The Great German’ which really rocks out and sends an immediate message that this is going to be one hell of a ride, in the same way that Earthless, Black Bombaim and Blown Out are. Comprising a series of live takes over two days recording, this is a really visceral beginning to the album that continues with ‘Inside’. Taking it down a notch the band really get down and dirty with some real filthy guitar and plangent vocals.
‘Morning’ and ‘Sigh On’ slows it down even more with a real mixture of light and dark weaving their way through the songs. There is a lightness to the vocals, but there is real menace there too. I am expecting these to be a growers, they certainly are not as immediate as the rest of the album, but have a subtlety to them that may well keep on giving.
‘Glad Is Night’ and ‘Sak Bacle’ get us back on the blues rock track again, and both have terrific restraint to them. You feel like the band are fighting to keep the whole thing under control, operating just on the edge between order and chaos. The live feel is again evident here and you just know that something is going to happen, and it does after around six minutes into ‘Glad Is The Night’ when the vocal kicks in. Early Mammal are not a band for the impatient, but it does reward the wait, offering satisfying but different resolutions to each track.
Last up is ‘The Good/ GG Return and Out’ which is marked out by its ultra heavy and distorted riffage which really pulls you deep into it, and then returns you to the brilliant themes of the opening track which is both satisfying and welcome. This is an album to really kick back, turn off the lights and turn up loud. And when you’ve finished you may well want to put it on again.
Take A Lover is released on Riot Season Records in late September.
Early Mammal are:
Rob Herian – Guitar & Vocals
Ben Davis – Drums & Percussion
Ben Tat – Bass & Baritone Guitar
No Comment