IV: The Stream Of Forgotten Thoughts. Weedpecker

Sometimes things go wrong. This album was not released on 12 March but on 3 December. I'm over three months late with my review. Shit happens, but let's face it, that's incredibly relative these days. Fact is, I do not like IV: The Stream Of Forgotten Thoughts any less because of it. This is an extremely varied album with some great stoner rock, symphonic rock and psychedelic 60s worked into its varied songs.

Weedpecker is a Polish band around Piotr Dobry, singer, guitarist and composer. Apparently the bands has lost all other founding members in between its previous album and this one. Although one returned as technician and arranger. As this is my introduction to the band, I can't tell if there are major differences because of it.

What caught my attention immediately on starting to play the album, was the nice melodic quality of the rock music. There's quite some interesting and fantastic playing going on here. It doesn't stop there though. In the vocal harmonies The Moody Blues are brought back to memory. Although that band may still exist, its heyday lies far beyond us. The way these harmonies are woven into Weedpecker's music makes it a notch better. The quality is already quite outstanding and then the album receives this little icing on the cake. This band knows who to draw an unsuspecting listener in and hopefully its previous fans as well.

Promo photo: Krzysztof Skua

Having started in 2012, Weedpecker has released its fourth album since 2013, although there is a demo album from 2012 as well. The band only just entered its second decade. Had someone told me I was listening to a band from the 70s, I would have believed it as well. In a way, listening to IV: The Stream Of Forgotten Thoughts is like stepping into a time machine. The sound may be slightly more modern, whether the recording quality tops the top of the 70s, like Pink Floyd's, is doubtful. This music seems to come from long ago, as if it could have been fresh well over 40 years ago.

What this album offers is intricately played guitar parts and loud, huge rocking parts, depending on the song. There is a more modern link because of it. There is an element of experimentation within the songs like label mates Motorpsycho and Soup offer within their music. Weedpecker is more rock oriented but certainly explores where a song can take it, just like the two bands mentioned. This can take it into Hendrix territory, as in the solo part of 'Big Brain Monsters' or in light psychedelic brushstrokes like in 'Endless Extensions Of Good Vibrations'. Softly warbling and then rock out. Getting out the big guitars and effects certainly is an option for Weedpecker.

With IV: The Stream Of Forgotten Thoughts Weedpecker offers a rock album with a few faces where many different rock fans should find something of their liking on. I had no clue what to expect but liked what I was hearing during the first minute and was not disappointed for a second afterwards. Something new for 2022 with a little old worked into in a very appetizing way IV: The Stream Of Forgotten Thoughts is. 

Wout de Natris