Review: Brant Bjork Trio ‘Once Upon A Time In The Desert’
For any fan of stoner or desert rock, Brant Bjork needs no introduction. The longtime, self-styled Desert Boogie Man has been laying down the always-killer, heavy, laid-back grooves since the early ‘90s, first as an original member and drummer of Kyuss, before joining fellow desert rock figureheads Fu Manchu. Bjork only added to his status when he struck out on his own, putting his sticks down, picking up a guitar and stepping to the microphone himself.
His 1999 album Jalamanta in which he played every instrument, remains a cornerstone album in the desert rock genre, and if I’m being honest, is among my top twenty-five albums of all time. Bjork, since becoming the frontman of his various musical outlets, has become incredibly prolific, releasing eleven albums as Brant Bjork, two with Brant Bjork And The Bros, and one with Brant Bjork And The Low Desert Punk Band, all of them being excellent-to-great. As well, he was part of the trio Stöner, along with fellow Kyuss alumni Nick Oliveri, and his current drummer in his various projects, Ryan Güt.
Here, Bjork returns under the moniker The Brant Bjork Trio, releasing Once Upon A Time In The Desert, with Güt once again sitting behind the kit, but this time Bjork is joined by fellow desert rock luminary Mario Lalli, he of the original desert rock band Across The River, as well as the legendary Yawning Man and the long running Fatso Jetson. Most recently he’s been performing with Mario Lalli and the Rubber Snake Charmers, in which Bjork, was a participant.
Needless to say, the two go way back, so seeing them playing together on this record definitely quipped my curiosity. Not surprisingly, there’s plenty of groove and chemistry as Bjork, and Güt have been playing together for a while now, but it’s Lalli’s groovy, dexterous and weighted low end that really keeps the head nodding, which is on vivid display with opener U.R. Free as his bass playing really anchors the track, adding extra thump to Bjork’s familiar heavy, yet funky riffing.
We’re just getting started though as the completely addicting, rumbling Backin’ The Daze sees all three musicians completely locked into a killer groove sounding like a totally cohesive musical unit, yet also completely standing out individually. Backin’ The Daze, for this reviewer, is as good and funky of a track that Bjork has dropped since his excellent Low Desert Punk band album Black Flower Power.
Standouts are everywhere as the catchy, laid-back vibes of Higher Lows, which showcases Bjork’s keen ear for melody with his simple, yet effective, melodic lead flourishes and his spaced-out, rocking solo. It also boasts a riff-heavy outro allowing Lalli and Güt bountiful opportunities to really drop the rhythm section into chest-rumbling, low-end territory. Down The Mountain allows Bjork to really display his trademark Blue Cheer-meets-Funakdelic guitar riffing, as again the band find themselves locked into a pretty unstoppable groove, that is both heavy as shit, and funky as hell.
as Bjork has shown over three decades, he is capable of dropping a fantastic album in what seems like an almost effortless fashion…
Magic Surfer Magazine is slightly mellower on approach initially, recalling the Somera Sól and Tres Dias albums, that is before Bjork’s soaring chorus, recalling a young dude dreaming about being a surfer, all the while the ever-present, unstoppable low end of Lalli and Güt hold it all down, rumbling and bashing away. One of the real highlights of the album is the awesome, rolling, riffing and grooving aptly-titled Sunshine Is Making Love to Your Mind. It’s a total exercise In laid-back, yet heavy song-craft in which the trio all shine – the vocals, the riffing, the funky, behind the beat bashing, and the massive, fuzzed-out bass featuring plenty of carpal tunnel inducing fretwork. To say nothing of the mid-track bassline that sets up the WAR-style, funky ass outro that, along with the killer lead work, carries the track to its conclusion.
Rock And Roll In The Dirt, while also having a great title, features more song-anchoring bass lines, plenty of guitar histrionics and octopus-armed, Bill Ward drum action, while the penultimate Astrological Blues (Southern California Girls) sees the trio in psychedelic-funk mode with plenty of urgency, twists and turns. The bass rumblings and melodic vocal shout-outs to Southern California girls is a staple in West Coast rock inspiration if there ever was one.
Do You Got Some Fire closes the record out with some more killer, funky, desert rock action as all three musicians individually shine, yet are so locked in, the listener can’t help but nod his head. There is plenty of starts and stops, and ups and downs, as the trio really go out with the fire they are singing about.
Once Upon A Time In The Desert, for my ears, is the best project Bjork has been involved in since the aforementioned Black Flower Power. As the man is so prolific, there can, at times, be a sense of sameness in his music, especially his vocal delivery and cadence, but as Bjork has shown over three decades, he is capable of dropping a fantastic album in what seems like an almost effortless fashion, and this is one of those albums.
The musician’s tones are fantastic throughout and the album’s sounds are lush, warm, crisp and deep, with a monster low-end, however, Lalli really steals a lot of the show with his impeccable playing and next level tone which perfectly complements Bjork and Güt making the end result undoubtedly one of the best desert rock albums of recent years.
Bjork resurrected his defunct Duna Records with Once Upon A Time In The Desert being the first release on the revived label, and I’m here to say they couldn’t have picked a better record for the re-launch. Enthusiastically recommended.
Label: Duna Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Martin Williams
