Radio Moscow ‘Magical Dirt’ CD/LP/DD 2014

Radio Moscow 'Magical Dirt'Rock and roll! Man, it is a beautiful thing! And rock and roll is what you will get on Radio Moscow’s 4th long player, ‘Magical Dirt‘. An awesomely vintage psychedelic painting of a mushroom rising above fields, stars, and mountains on the cover pretty much sets the stage for the music contained within. Radio Moscow, the San Diego power trio, led by the infamous Parker Griggs, serves up 10 tracks of vintage, bluesy, rock that acts as a time capsule taking you back in time when the guitars were loud, excess reigned supreme, and nothing was off limits musically. Over the course of the 10 tracks that make up ‘Magical Dirt‘, the band is in fine form and firing on all cylinders. Instrumentally the band is tight, however they give off the vibe that everything could fall apart at any minute, and then they are right back on track keeping the flow. It makes for an interesting listen.

Instrumentally there is some face melting guitar on this record courtesy of Mr. Griggs, only breaking the pace a couple of times throughout the album by adding two delta blues inspired numbers ‘Sweet Lil Thing‘ and ‘Stinging‘. ‘Sweet Lil Thing‘, the fourth track, is a straight up bluesy number that surprisingly came out of San Diego and not out of the swamps of Louisiana or the streets of Memphis. Another straight up blues song is the final track ‘Stinging‘, both of these songs really bring a flavor to the album and fit great with the more up-tempo numbers, due to Parker Griggs bluesy rasp that sounds of a man who has lived longer than his years might suggest. Bass and drums keep the rhythm section tight, but loose enough to not sound like a soulless metronome and seamlessly flow in and out interacting with the guitar and keeping a solid foundation under the leads and solos.

Magical Dirt‘ is an album that the listener should immerse themselves in. It truly has the flow of an LP. I find myself listening to it in full each time, and not just going for the better songs, because there is no filler on the album. The bluesy numbers add a nice change of pace keeping things interesting. Please keep in mind, even though I continually use the term “bluesy” to describe a couple of songs, do not be misled, like it is a detour from the other songs. ‘Magical Dirt‘ in it’s soul is a blues rock album (a rockin’ one at that), and is exactly what I think of when I hear the term “stoner rock”. There are elements of delta blues, Cream, Mountain, Cactus, and a little Black Sabbath thrown in for good measure.

Maybe you saw Radio Moscow earlier this year on their week stint opening for the legendary Pentagram, or in your local dive bar on one of their many tours? Either way you can rest assured these songs are meant to be played, and experienced live.’Magical Dirt‘ is raw, dirty, and loud just how REAL rock n’ roll is supposed to be. It’s not safe, it’s not for everyone, but for those who feel more at home under neon lights in smokey bars, and love their music loud, I could not suggest this record more!

Label: Alive Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Twitter

Scribed by: Jason Fincher