ALBUM REVIEW: True Misery – Old Man Lizard
Imagine your perfect sandwich. Delicious, right? Slices of wholesome [insert name of bread] surrounding [insert filling one] and [insert filling two] in a soft embrace. Eating the sandwich is a simple but profound pleasure. OLD MAN LIZARD’s third full length effort, True Misery, is a lot like said favourite sandwich.
It’s superbly constructed, containing all the right elements that are great on their own, but blissful when put together. Shark Attack’s rumbling bass and splashy cymbals that open out into a plodding groove, peppered with bellowed vocals and a cocky stoner strut, are easy going, rambling excellence. Dreamy guitar strums and rolling grooves, tugged along by a warm bass undertow, are delicious, even if the run time leave it feeling a bit stodgier than intended.
Snakes!!! bursts into bouncy, upbeat life with shades of BAD GUYS in its tongue in cheek lyricism and rapid riff runs, descending into a stop/start outro that’s clearly taking the piss out of anyone attempting to headbang. Tree of Ténéré jars with atonal chords, wandering at a slow processional before the guitars spider away, the mirroring bass following along as splashy cymbals string everything together with a decent through line, taking a surprising side step into layered, shuffling blues.
The Adventures of Rupert Biggins (who, according to Google, sadly isn’t a Viz character) bustles with rolling drums and a weary stoner riff, a slow nodder dripping with shifting guitars and foxing tempo changes. Trees Fall Down ripples with movement heavy bass and ascending, smooth drums, swollen with wavering hamming, chilled and unhurried. It’s like a TRUCKFIGHTERS track played at a third of the speed.
Cursed Ocean, Relentless Sea slows things down into a mournful trudge, sidling into dusty, dreamy chords that blow like a tumble weed propelled by a western wind. It’s wearied and waltzing, heaving with frustrated vocal layers and ambling bass. Just when it seems too lethargic, OLD MAN LIZARD change things up with a welcome burst of speed, opening into a twisting, meandering groove and a swinging guitar solo.
It’s at this point, however, that we’re confronted with a dilemma. While the favourite sandwich is delicious, eating it for every meal starts to render it less and less charming. If you’re truly hungry, you might tackle the sandwich a second time; but heaping platefuls render it a same-wich. Misery Is Miserable shudders with wavering noise and suitably mournful vocals, weaving sombre bass fuzz and dancing fiddle. It embraces the blues in its truest, traditionalist sense; lamenting vocals repeating the catechism “Every day, Misery“. But it’s a ponderous eight minute track fresh off the back of another ponderous eight minute track, and we’re getting riff (sandwich) fatigued.
Return To Earth is slick, with canny bass and guitar interplay evolving into locked in, slow grooves propelled by stuttering kick drums, a summery blast advising us to “take it easy”. Despite its bounce, it’s that lingering crust of the delicious sandwich, liable to be left on the plate unappreciated, soon to go irredeemably brittle.
OLD MAN LIZARD clearly know what they’re about, construction wise, they know when to retire a riff and switch things up, and they’re obviously fully in sync with one another as musicians, taking it in turns to occupy the listener’s attention without seeming showy. There’s just something about this record that prevents it from tipping the balance into ‘great’ territory. If you’re into low velocity stoner riffing that soundtracks your summer beer garden experience, this is just the thing. But if you’re a KYUSS disciple who knows their DOZER from their FU MANCHU you won’t find this a fresh cut loaf.
Rating: 6/10
True Misery is out now via Wasted State Records.
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