Seems curious that a band from Stockholm might take their name from a form of plant life that grows almost exclusively in the tropics, but the trio Mangrove have done precisely that, and on their Transubstans debut, Endless Skies, they blend elements of fuzz-laden hippie stoner rock and light psychedelia for nine competent tracks of warm, familiar-sounding jams. They?re not likely to revolutionize the genre, but if they were opening for Truckfighters, I?d be there in a second.

It might just be Seemless on my brain lately, but in opener ?Universal Time? I hear shades of that Massachusetts band?s self-titled first offering ? namely in the vocals of bassist Jani Kataja, who seems to check Jessie Leach?s non-screaming work on ?In My Time of Need? and ?Lay My Burden Down,? reinterpreting and incorporating melodies and lines into the Mangrove context. It doesn?t pervade so much throughout the rest of Endless Skies, and it could be a common Chris Cornell or other influence, but it stuck out in my head and so I figured it was worth a mention in case I wasn?t the only one who noticed.

?Universal Time,? at 5:16, is the longest cut on Endless Skies , and Mangrove generally keep their songwriting straightforward, allowing for some lead guitar layering and acoustics from six-stringer/backing vocalist Magnus Jernstr?m on ?River of My Soul? without ever crossing over into obnoxious self-indulgence. If anything, the simplistic approach adds to the overall flow of the album, so that even a track like the interlude ?Back by the Mountainside,? which is almost entirely guitar strumming and cymbal waves from drummer Fredrik Broqvist doesn?t feel out of place for the sonic change it represents. You just know that once ?Electric Eye? kicks in, it?s back to catchy riffs and grooves, and sure enough, you?re right.

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