Frolicking about in the forest, our hearts quicken as we prepare to flee from a mythical beast known only as The Hunter...
#6
Mastodon - The Hunter
“Yeah man, the new Mastodon album is okay,” a perpetually carping “fan” confides to me, “but it’s too accessible.” Forget you and your hipster pals, man. This album kicks your skinny-jean clad arse, dude. The great thing about holding the esteem of not only metaldom but the entire rock scene (and TIME magazine, for that matter) is that any ludicrous idea is welcomed as genius. For Mastodon’s wily fingered rhythm section, meat and potato chops sound just as thrilling as Drop-C pentatonic reverse whatever-the-hell, room filling simplicity as good as polyrhythmic pretentiousness. Mike Elizondoteases every unpolished burr from the frets of each of these scruffy Southerners, every song lending itself to the concept yet standing triumphantly alone. Swampy and booze-soaked (possibly dope enthroned?) swagger abounds on Curl of the Burl and wondrous, trance-like corridors open up as Troy Sanders’ nasally chants “You’re on fire!” in Stargasm – so convincingly may I add, after a few tokes you’d pat down your legs just to make sure. Bill Kelliher confidently soars full-throated on the theatrical Octopus Has No Friends; theramin nuttiness and robotic apparitions pierce through the space rock gem Bedazzled Fingernails meanwhile richly layered guitars on The Sparrow build up so deftly and seductively there’s only one option left once the disc is over. Press play again.
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The Top 10 of 2011