I had first heard of The Litter earlier this year on coming across The Litter’s album from 2019, and was pretty interested to see that the band had albums from the 1960s and that their 2019 album, Future of the Past, was their first in quite a while. I decided to check out one of their original albums after seeing it in my suggestions from another album I listened to recently. Based on what I remember listening to in their 2019 album, plus what I’m seeing on Wikipedia, The Litter is something of a psychedelic garage rock band. I’m pretty stoked to listen to this one, so I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Mindbreaker” starts out with some somewhat laid-back sounding garage rock sounding music, such that it’s still got that high energy laden with psychedelia, yet has a certain patience to it. I really dig the musical directions in this one. There’s definitely some clear psychedelia in this one, and feels like a really awesome intro to an album like this one. The tone of the guitars have a really nice, crunchy fuzz to them, while the vocals have a really smooth texture to them. Oh wow, the ending of this song is incredibly chaotic with its energy, but comes to a really sweet crescendo at the end. I’m looking forward to the rest of the song.
“Tallyman” has a super slow feeling start, and almost even sounds like a folk music chord progression I recognize, but can’t name. At this point, the bass line really has a great smooth bop that keeps the song rolling along. I really dig the use of the traditional drum kit on one side with the tambourine on the other side. Oh wow, this guitar solo is pretty sweet. The guitar almost has a certain California surfer-esque feel to it, almost like riding a wave into shore. I’m really digging this one.
“Here I Go Again” starts out with some super interestingly simple guitar lines playing the same thing in different octaves on both sides of the soundscape. Oh wow, this one is super groovy. I really dig how close the vocals sound to this one. I’m really digging the tone of the guitars on this one – there’s a classic psychedelic fuzz really manifested quite well in this one. Definitely a groovy tune.
“Morning Sun” has a really sweet tone from both the guitars as well as the vocals in this one. I really dig listening in on the bass guitar as it subtly seems to be driving the song forward as the rest of the instrumentation fills the soundscape around what the bass is playing. The instruments shift in wonderfully unexpected ways around the soundscape, keeping me listening closer and on my toes with what’s to come.
“(Under the Screaming Double) Eagle” has a really classic garage rock energy vibe in this one, and sort of has a vibe of a train pulling into the station at a super fast speed. The vocals have a great energy in this one – really setting forth a largely laid-back feeling vibe, while the drums, bass, and guitars make this one give off a more raw, high energy.
Wow, “Apologies to 2069” is incredibly interesting, and is a super experimental section with different noises, feedbacks, sounds, synths, and other tones without much structure. There’s a little section of guitar and drums, but it slowly melds into the experimental mix. Awesome little tune.
“Kaleidoscope” has an extremely different sound from the earlier songs, and definitely takes on an almost experimental psychedelic sound. It kind of reminds me a little bit of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” in terms of the general shifting and melding bright and shiny tones from the organs and drums and vocals. That’s definitely a run-on description, but it’s definitely a super intriguing song.
“Blues One” has aptly named, as the bluesy tones from the guitar and harmonica are super flavorful. I really dig the sounds of the harmonica bringing in a new layer to the album as a whole. I was really digging this album already, but I keep getting more and more hooked into the album as it continues to play. Honestly I’m surprised that it’s already on almost on the final track. Wow, the jamming from the guitar and harmonica are absolutely blues-soaked awesome. Meanwhile the drums and bass keep the tune gently rolling along while the guitars and harmonica sort of jam out. This is definitely one groovy tune.
“She’s Not There” has a super tasty psychedelic mood at the beginning with the clean rhythm guitar combined with almost wah-wah-like sound, while the organs gently swirl things around, and the lead guitar comes in with some tasty licks that accentuate the playing quite well. The drums and bass are really sweet with the gentle rolling feel they provide to the tune, contrasting with the abrasively tasty crunch of the lead guitar. Meanwhile, the vocals have this sweet nearly serenading tone. Oh wow, this organ solo and general feel from the drums and bass remind me a little bit of Ray Manzarek and The Doors. Oh wow, I’m getting a bit lost in the groove as the music feels like it’s surrounding me as I float away in some ethereal psychedelic bliss. Oh wow, this is super groovy right now – especially as different instruments sort of tease like they’re taking the lead at different times. The drums are really sweet too – they’re evolved quite a bit as I continue to listen to them, but didn’t really notice how much the progression had changed for quite a while because it was such a natural evolution. Oh wow, the tune fell right back into place to the main chorus at the end of the song, with the vocals really getting super sweet for a moment during the final vocal line of the tune. Great and epic finish to a really sweet album.
Wow, this album was pretty sweet. I was super hooked into this album by the final song, with each song furthering my interest as the album continued to play along. If you’re into psychedelic rock or garage rock, this one is definitely an album to consider checking out. It definitely feels more psychedelic rock than garage rock in general, but still retains a lot of elements of both as it slowly changes stylistically throughout the album. I certainly enjoyed this one. If you do decide to give it a listen, I do hope you enjoy it at least as much as I did.
-A