Phased Spew Some Heady Phlegm on New Album
Let there be no misunderstanding: Phased know their rock. The multinational (Switzerland, Finland and Sweden) rock trio recently issued their fourth album via Elektrohasch Schallplatten, and though you might expect a band who calls a record something as cumbersome as A Sort of Spasmic Plhegm Induced by Leaden Fumes of Pleasure to beat around the bush for a while, for the most part Phased get right down to business with a borderline trippy psych rock that galvanizes strains of Fu Manchu, Queens of the Stone Age with the rougher hewn edges of Sleep and The Melvins.
I know as far as stoner rock goes, these are marriages well made before Phased came along, but A Sort of Spasmic Phlegm Induced by Leaden Fumes of Pleasure has charm beyond its title, and the band’s evident passion for what they do comes across clearly in the songs. They’ve been together in this incarnation for nearly a decade (after originally forming in 1997), and the comfort of the players shows in “Rim Shot to Infinity, “ which is about as unhinged and far out as their jams get. “The Osteopath” and “Tip of the Sky,” which takes the “Holy crap I’m so high” lyrical approach, follow a more straightforward fuzz rock ethic, and effectively, setting up the course for the latter half of the record to get progressively more ethereal and crunchier with each song.
Guitarist/vocalist Chris Sigdell, bassist Chris Walt and drummer Marko Lehtinen follow the classic power trio format, but if it hasn’t gotten old yet, Phased certainly aren’t the ones about to push it over the edge. Rather, their songs, when catchy, show a strength for pop flair that, although still feeling like it’s developing, is utterly satisfying. When they spread out and introduce the atmospherics — which come on several of the songs thanks to the keyboard contributions of Scott Heller of Øresund Space Collective – the effect is hypnotic as only psych rock at its best can be. Their more ambient material, highlighted on “I Come Toulouse” and “Nachspiel Revisited I & II,” is not out of place with the first part of A Sort of Spasmic Phlegm Induced by Leaden Fumes of Pleasure, rather, the two styles enhance each other as the record plays out.
There’s little about Phased’s latest that drives either the power trio or psychedelic rock into territories its never seen before, but the songs are well written and executed and the album, despite its sonic twists, flows remarkably well. It’s an easy record to understand, but also an easy record to be lost within, and should be a satisfying listen for any head out there who’s yet to hear the band. A Sort of Spasmic Phlegm Induced by Leaden Fumes of Pleasure may be preached to the choir, but I’d be surprised if Phased didn’t find said choir ready, willing and anxious to hear the sermon. No complaints here. These dudes are up front about what they do and who they’re influenced by, and make no bones about trying to change the world. By rock fans, for rock fans. The system works.
Tags: Elektrohasch, Phased, Switzerland
