Review: Plastic Crimewave Syndicate ‘Tales Of The Golden Skull’
It goes without saying that one of the many cool aspects of writing for The Sleeping Shaman is the exposure to many different bands, and labels that I otherwise may have missed. One of my favorite labels that I’ve encountered in my time here has certainly been the UK label Cardinal Fuzz, who often work in conjunction with Feeding Tube Records in the USA.
I’ve reviewed a decent number of bands from the label, and found every one of them unique, good-to-great, and oozing with a lo-if, psychedelic, garage rock, aesthetic. I’ve dug the labels’ seemingly underground, off-the-radar approach to marketing their bands and releases, despite being easily found on social media, and Bandcamp. Nevertheless, for this reviewer, Cardinal Fuzz/Feeding Tube emanate a vibe of discovering something that not a lot of people know about, even if they are fans of heavy, psychedelic rock and roll, all of which simply adds mystique to the label’s releases.
Here, we have Chicago’s, Plastic Crimewave Syndicate, and their latest release Tales Of The Golden Skull. The band, led by PCW aka Steve Krakow on guitar/keys and ‘incantations’ is joined by Rob Rodak (also of Dead Feathers) on bass and Jose ‘The Beast’ Bernal on drums and percussion, have been around since a minimum of 2013, with Krakow, by all accounts, a fixture in The Windy City’s fertile, underground, heavy psych scene.
The album wastes zero time getting going as the opener, Caged Fire, kicks the proverbial door down instantly, with a hefty dose of The Stooges-inspired, distorted, psychedelic garage punk that’s complete with harmonica skronks and a going-off-the-rails energy. However, lest the listener think we’re gonna a hefty dose of The Stooges, Funhouse-era vibes, Plastic Crimewave Syndicate proceed to go the other direction, as Feel initially presents itself as a mega-trippy, echo-y crawl, before exploding at the midway point with some unnerving vocals and heavy guitar space-outs, before riding that sonic wave back to their initial aural meanderings.
Mind Star brings the rock back with a driving psych-attack, that’s drenched in all sorts of distortion and effects. Both the guitar playing and vocals from Krakow are killer throughout, and among the chaos are more brass squeals, which sound like their emanating from another dimension. Elsewhere, we get Golden Skull, the semi-title track, which is awesome heavy psych of the highest order. Anchored by a smooth bass line from Rodak, it features all of the trippy instrumentation, distorted, echo-y vocals, and rhythmic nod one could ever want in a heavy psych song. I’m sure I could easily spend an afternoon dissecting all the swirling noise, keyboard flourishes, and cosmic trippyness featured on this track.
A true colossus of heavy, psychedelic rock and roll…
Up next is the synth-drenched Atomic Ore, which reminds me of proggy, krautrock, but shot through an ‘80s German New Wave lens, and under the strict condition that it can only be played late at night while driving fast in an undisclosed, rainy, European metropolis. The track that turned out to be my favorite is the epic, crushing, unsettling, slow-burn sonic mind-fuck that is Killer Skies.
A nine-plus minute descent into heavy, swirling psychedelic madness that is as cathartic and harrowing as anything I’ve heard this year. A true colossus of heavy, psychedelic rock and roll that eventually goes off into an unhinged psych roller coaster that ends with your senses barely intact, feeling as though you’ve just been launched through a kaleidoscopic mind-warp.
The album closes with the aptly named Elegy, a musical comedown if there ever was one. An airy, acoustic dirge, that puts the perfect cap on one of the cooler records I’ve experienced over the last twelve months. If most of the tracks are a dark trip through rock and roll, Elegy is the light at the end of the tunnel.
Additionally, Plastic Crimewave Syndicate was joined on Tales Of The Golden Skull by a handful of prominent, local Chicago musicians who added some of their own flavor to the layers of sonic depth found on this record. I enjoyed the hell out of this album, spinning it multiple times as I was absorbing it for this review, and found new sounds, and new vibes with each spin.
There is a lot to digest across the seven tracks, but the fact that Plastic Crimewave Syndicate excel at this kind of music makes each listen a treat and a musical adventure. Looks like Cardinal Fuzz and Feeding Tube Records have continued their streak of releasing top-notch psychedelic rock and roll. Recommended.
Label: Cardinal Fuzz Records | Feeding Tube Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Scribed by: Martin Williams
