Review: Prison ‘Downstate’

New York’s Prison started in 2017 and their line-up consists of Paul Major (Endless Boogie) – guitar/vocals, Matt Leibowitz – bass, Matt Lilly – drums/percussion, Sarim Al-Rawi (Liquor Store) – guitar/bass/noises/piano/vocals, Dave ‘Smoota’ Smith – trombone and guitarists Marc Razo and Adam Reich, guitarist Sam Jayne (Love Is Laughter) was also a key member, (RIP).

Prison 'Downstate' Artwork
Prison ‘Downstate’ Artwork

When The Shaman sent out the usual promo list and I spotted Prison, what clinched it for me was a band who once featured Mike Fellows of legendary post-hardcore/emo godfathers Rites of Spring, as well as the album being put out by Drag City (home to Papa M aka David Pajo, Six Organs of Admittance, Flat Worms, Om and Ty Segall etc). To say I didn’t need much convincing to cover this would be an understatement.

Millions Of Armies (Wipe ’Em Out) features the kind of psych freakouts associated with Krautrockers Guru Guru as well as the free flowing hippy experimentation of Sunburned Hand Of The Man and Greeks’ Naxatras. This is jam band territory but one which doesn’t at any stage feel at all aimless, and this could be attributable to the experience and calibre of the band’s membership. A superb opener.

By contrast Crocodile (Alligator) appears imbued with a punkier aesthetic, albeit one akin to Flipper’s sludgy noise-rock, especially in the vocal department, which is no bad thing, while Traveling Lady (In Prison) is panoramic desert-rock akin to Earth post 2003 reformation. The Stooges haunting overlooked classic We Will Fall also comes to mind as does PIL at their early avant-garde best on Metal Box, spectacular. Up In A Tree by contrast is far more upbeat with saxophone and slinky blues vibes aplenty, like the best song The Rolling Stones never wrote.

positively gripping and sounds like it’s about to take off at any point…

Eyes For Keys is positively gripping and sounds like it’s about to take off at any point, proto-punk space-rockers Hawkwind are one band that comes to mind, especially the Lemmy era when they were truly firing on all cylinders. The manic vocals and sense of rhythmic repetition also resembles outfits such as GNOD and Orgöne, or to put it in layman’s terms, seriously good.

That’s My Noise takes us down a more jazz fusion/prog route with sprechgesang Vocals that weirdly recalls Iggy Pop on 2019’s Free and The Circle Jerks Keith Morris with Midget Handjob on 2000’s oddball release Midnight Snack Break At The Poodle Factory. Another winner. Where’s My Food reminds yours truly of Can when Malcolm Mooney was in the band, an underrated frontman who I always found far more interesting than Damo Suzuki. Yoo Doo Right comes to mind when listening to it, yet it impressively still manages to retain its own identity and to brilliant effect.

In The Tall Grass is a short yet beautifully evocative piece with a Lou Reed/Velvet Underground feel andMade For You is a surprisingly cool George Thorogood Blues shuffle which isn’t all that surprising considering Major‘s involvement in day job Endless Boogie. Normally this would have me running for the hills except for the fact that it’s handled with a lot more adeptness and class, also see Crypt Trip’s Haze County. Down To County continues the blues but in a far subtler way than that of its predecessor, there is a post-punk edge and one which helps draw the album to its deliciously dark and moody conclusion.

While Shaman colleague Martin Williams may have struggled with the band’s debut Upstate at various moments, he may find Prison‘s latest a little easier to digest. I for one was impressed. 

Label: Drag City
Band Links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Scribed by: Reza Mills