ALBUM REVIEW: Volume Three – Yawning Balch
Stoner rock outfit, YAWNING BALCH, continue their record series with Volume Three. How this album was recorded, as done with the other two released in 2023, was through the band getting together and having a five-hour-long jam session that, according to guitarist BOB BALCH, meant building a humungous pedal board to experiment with the weirdest sounds they could. And when a certain pattern starts coming together, it becomes a composition and turns into a long, beautiful track.
The band themselves are a supergroup of sorts with Bob Balch (FU MANCHU, BIG SCENIC NOWHERE) and three members of experimental desert rock group YAWNING MAN; guitarist GARY ARCE, drummer BILL STINSON, and bassist MARIO LALLI. And with the quartet being made up of four friends who love playing music together, you can hear the natural chemistry and the way they just know how to work together to create several nicely curated tracks during hours of jamming.
The album itself is comprised of just two mammoth songs. One is twenty minutes in length while the other is around fifteen minutes. In some cases, artists releasing tracks of such length could be a risk, but in the case of the stoner doom genre, this isn’t atypical and it’s about creating a euphoric, beautiful experience that can transport you as well as relax you. In short, YAWNING BALCH have succeeded in creating two stunning songs that leave you in a sense of calm.
The first one, The Taos Hum, opens with low instruments which start to slowly swell volume before ending up as a relaxing rock track that seems to be more of the blues variety. With this being twenty minutes in length, one might worry it’ll grow dull and you’ll zone out, but there’s something about The Taos Hum that has you put into a productive state during its length, so it’s the perfect track for when you need to do some work or errands, yet in that same breath it’s easy to find yourself completely relaxed in its presence. Particularly when we hear the song go on a journey from being blues to stoner to psychedelia and back, with the entire process feeling natural, it’s almost disappointing when it comes to an end.
Winter Widow is similar in how it exists in both categories of being relaxing whilst also making you want to be productive. Sound wise, it’s more alternative rock at its core, yet we still hear little moments of blues and psychedelia that we enjoyed earlier, and, if we had to summarise in a sentence, it’s like a comforting warm blanket with the way it leaves you in a state of calm. A beautiful listening experience. Whether you need something in background as you work, or something to quiet your mind, then this is an easy recommendation.
Rating: 8/10
Volume Three is set for release 21st February via Heavy Psych Sounds.
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