Meatbodies\u2019 third album 333 <\/i>was something of a detour, reflecting the state of mind of its bandmembers at the time, but they have returned to their rock and shoegaze roots on their newest offering. Only this time, the sound is more confident and more indebted to alt-rock, influences that beef up the sound (and song length) this time.<\/p>\n
The result is the band\u2019s best work, and one hopes it brings them wider acclaim.<\/p>\n
Like the best shoegaze albums, Flora <\/i>is able to suck in the listener, weaving a colorful mosaic of kaleidoscopic color within its wall of guitars, from the great opener \u201cThe Assignment\u201d right through the Smashing Pumpkins-indebted \u201cHole.\u201d There\u2019s actually a strong presence of early \u201990s rock throughout the disc, not only from Corgan\u2019s crew but also My Bloody Valentine, Jane\u2019s Addiction and Lush. Given that the best work from these artists is now 30 years old, it stands to reason that today\u2019s bands would use them as touchstones, and it is exciting to hear how that approach to sonic world-building plays out among this L.A. quartet. <\/p>\n
\u201cSilly Cybin\u201d seems like one of those odes to drugs that\u2019s actually not (think Clapton\u2019s take on \u201cCocaine\u201d), and infuses its rather inane lyrics with some great guitar work, both riffage and solos; it also has enough pop smarts to get out after three and a half minutes. \u201cBillow\u201d is to Jane\u2019s Addiction what \u201cHole\u201d was to the Pumpkins; unlike the latter, though, it\u2019s too close to an homage to really register as its own song. When all one can think of is another singer, a band hasn\u2019t overcome its influences, fun as it is to revisit the short-lived godfathers of alternative rock.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey Came Down\u201d starts off with some promising classic rock riffs but turns into a generic, late-period Sabbath song, but the seven-minute \u201cMove\u201d is better, riding a surf-rock-meets-shoegaze feel that chugs along happily, with all the aforementioned influences finally coming together into a heady stew. Think Sonic Youth, but cheerful and less atonal, and you\u2019re sort of there. It\u2019s a rip.<\/p>\n
Although neither one is truly successful, the acoustic \u201cCriminal Minds\u201d and the Stooges-esque wonky horn solo in the middle of \u201cICNNVR2\u201d showcase the brimming creativity here. \u201cReturn Of Ecstasy\u201d is a droning instrumental that serves as the long introduction to closer \u201cGate,\u201d a showcase of confident, muscular rock with some Who-like influences on top of everything else.<\/p>\n
The result is an hour-long sonic adventure, teeming with energy and life, infusing many rock styles and, if not creating something totally new with them, having a great time playing again. Given the upheaval in frontman Chad Ubovich\u2019s life over the last few years, it was clear that music was his oasis, the calm within the storm, and that passion and energy plays out throughout this disc. Worth several listens to fully absorb, Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom <\/i>is one of the better rock albums of 2024 so far.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":34980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[10945],"rating":[5617],"class_list":["post-46852","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-meatbodies","rating-rating-b-plus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/46852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/46852\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=46852"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=46852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}