Stöner’s new album is a consummate lesson in High Desert grooviness

The clue is in the name, and the main players have significant form, of course. Having set out their weed-smoke-wreathed stall with studio debut Stoners Rule and Live In The Mojave Desert, Brant Bjork (guitars/vocals) and Nick Oliveri (bass/vocals) return for more super-fuzzy sun-baked riffery, with the former’s solo band drummer Ryan Gut efficiently nailing those tight-but-loose rhythms. 

A couple of guest appearances – guitarists Greg Hetson (Bad Religion, Circle Jerks) and Mario Lalli (Yawning Man) – switch things up a bit, but essentially it’s about the cosmic chemistry cooked up between the main trio, and there’s plenty of that to be had. 

Concise blasters such as opener Party March and A Million Beers focus on good times, and the wonky riffing of Driving Miss Lazy injects a healthy dose of sludgy weirdness. 

But it’s the lengthy jams Space Dude & The Burn and Great American Sage that really take off, Oliveri and Bjork’s rough and smooth vocals jousting for dominance and the grimy riffs attaining a hypnotic level of bonged-out bliss. A consummate lesson in High Desert grooviness.

Source: loudersound.com