Take It From The Dead. Acid Dad

Psychedelic rock comes in so many guises that in a way it is impossible to chuck all the bands active in this genre into one basket. Acid Dad fits but also would fit in a basket called alternative rock with ease. Let's opt for the former.

Acid Dad is a band from New York City. The trio, Vaughn Hunt (guitars and vocals), Sean Fahey (guitars and vocals) and Trevor Mustoe (drums), has absorbed so many influences that it is almost impossible to keep up. The Strokes, so The Velvet Underground, 1967 psychedelia, UK 1980s new wave, all sorts of Dutch bands active in the past 10 years, it's all in there, and more. With this album, Acid Dad releases its second full length album after 2018's 'Acid Dad'.

The first thing I noticed is that Take It From The Dead is not hiding its music. There aren't endless layers of fuzz and whining little organs and other keyboards draped out over the rest of the band. The singer isn't hiding himself deep within the mix. What makes the music on the album psychedelic is the way of singing and the effect put on the voice. The second element is the way the instruments are played. Here The Cure rears its back-combed head. Let me point to the lead guitar line in 'A Forest'. It's definitely a reference point in the music of Acid Dad.

Most importantly you will find eight songs on Take It From The Dead and I mean songs in the taditional sense. Don't be surprised if you hear an intro that could have been from The Beatles before a song like 'Good Time' takes on some more solid parts. 'Good Time' is a good example of what this band is capable of. Obviously a lot of effort went into it. In finding and fitting all the unique elements that make up the song. Several little melodies that make up the whole, add a synth as a little extra. And there's no one who wants to hide his findings behind masking layers of sound. It all results in a great song.

True, I like a band like The Black Angels a lot as well but when I want to listen to music, I will sooner take out Acid Dad than the average The Black Angel album. It seems to me that as soon as I put on the album, Acid Dad presents me with its earliest influence, The Velvet Underground. 'Searchin'' immediately adds a 1980s synth and the singing is as if The Jesus & Mary Chain (without the chainsaws, pneumatic drills and what not) never went out of fashion. The trio takes it from there.

There you have it, reader. This is all you need to know in order to decide to start listening or not. There is something for the eye as well. The cover art design could hang from anyone's wall who likes modern art.

Wout de Natris