Review: Yawning Balch ‘Volume Three’
This January, Southern California – the region that both I and many stoner and desert rock artists call home – was immolated. Furious Santa Ana winds roared out of the desert canyons. Entire neighborhoods were obliterated. An all-too-familiar orange tint wreathed the daytime sky. It’s a reality that many of us here tend to fear more than earthquakes.
And as soon as they came, the fires died down and left us with an uneasy aftermath. I won’t go on too much of a tangent but I suppose I needed a bit of time to get back to a sense of tranquility to properly write a review of Yawning Balch’s newest two track record, Volume Three.
As an act, Yawning Balch is very straightforward: It’s Fu Manchu axeman Bob Balch matching talents with members Palm Desert psych stalwarts Yawning Man, which includes guitarist Gary Arce, the legendary Mario Lalli on bass and drummer Bill Stinson. In some ways they were the other half of desert rock opposite to Kyuss, whom they also influenced. Instead of bone-rending heavy guitars and furious drumming, theirs was a deeply ethereal psychedelic jam session that was most unusual coming from desert punk rockers. With Balch at the helm, they continue that tradition set so very long ago.
The lush spacey melodies and sense of free form are in full swing…
The Taos Hum emerges from a cavernous reverb echo and quickly takes flight. It’s a shimmering twenty-plus minute guitar pedal meditation backed by luminous bass lines and steady drumming, rising and descending over the painted desert vistas below. Balch and Arce’s guitar parts bounce off each other like a sonic game of ping pong in slow motion, each lighting a pathway that has no real destination planned but continues on a writing trajectory. Lalli’s bass gets progressively more serpentine while Stinson keeps relentless time to keep the parts glued together.
Winter Widow has similar flavors, but a slower tempo. Lalli’s bass is noticeably beefier, but Balch and Arce continue their delay-pedal-drenched dance. While The Taos Hum soars through the air, Winter Widow could be the journey back to the ground. If I’m being honest, it can be slightly difficult describing such improvisational psychedelic music, not that this is a slight at the band in any way. It’s simply one of the few times I will defer the listener to experience the ride for themselves.
At thirty-five minutes, Volume Three is a continuation of Yawning Man’s timeworn method, essentially the stoner rock equivalent of a jazz improv ensemble. The lush spacey melodies and sense of free form are in full swing. If you need a moment of respite after dealing with difficulties, lay back and let Yawning Balch take to a place of beauty and wonder.
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Rob Walsh
