I think I added this album the other night while listening to the album by Front Page Review, upon seeing this one in the suggestions during my listen. Phluph is another band from the Bosstown sound realm, which I’ve been digging a lot lately. The band didn’t stay together for many years, it would seem based on my quick google search. From what I can see, they were along the more mainstream lines of the Bosstown sound style, though I can’t seem to find a whole lot more information otherwise. With that said, I’m going to go ahead and jump on into the music.
“Doctor Mind” starts out slow and mysterious with some nice organs, and then the song falls into place and picks up pace. I’m really digging those organs giving a playfulness that sounds like a little psychedelic circus on an oceanside pier. The guitar is both fairly simple and really enchanting. Oh wow, there’s definitely a mystical element to those organs, while the guitar provides a bit of grounded grit, while the vocals sort of float amongst the musical aether.
“It Takes a Lot to Laugh, it Takes a Train to Cry” has a super playful organ starting things out, giving a really interesting take on this Bob Dylan original. Oh wow, this has a totally different vibe from Dylan’s version, and I’m digging it. There’s more of a playfulness to this one. Oh wow, those organs are absolutely delicious throughout the song, and there’s some really tasty blues-inflected playing from the guitar, while the drums keeps this tune rolling down the line. Great song.
“In Her Way” starts out with a slow, tension-building start, which only lasts momentarily as the band starts taking off. Oh wow, I’m really enjoying the short, staccato’d playing from the guitar that gives the song a nice framework, while the bass guitar rolls the song around as the drums propel it forward. Oh wow, this is interesting – it’s almost like there’s like two different guitar parts that both picked up quite a bit of fuzz at the same time for a little solo part. Wow, that little jam brought things far out, then the band brings it all back to the central melody led by the vocals and organs. Groovy tune.
“Another Day” has a really interesting sort of bluesy psychedelic garage rock sound to it. Oh wow, the song kind of marches along until things break through to a nice melodic chorus. Oh wow, this organ playing is super interesting – it sounds like there might be some sort of reverse effect to it, like they reversed the tape in the recording or something. The marching portion of this song is really sweet, and continues until it becomes something of a kaleidoscopic sort of sound as the sounds meld and reform into something different. There’s definitely a really groovy playfulness that’s audible in basically each song so far, and I’m really enjoying it. I can see how someone might perceive this to be a bit more mainstream/pop oriented iteration of Bosstown sound, but it’s super interesting to hear.
“Girl in Tears” has a really interesting, simple playing from the bass line and drums, and have a very grounded vocal line in this one. The organ provides a nice contrast to this, which provides some dream-like sounds that bring the tune to different dimensions, and the playing from the organs is accentuated well by the electric guitar, which sort of gently jams along with the organs. There’s a really groovy shuffle to this one. I’m not sure how much Phlush was influenced by The Beatles exactly, but I can certainly hear some things that remind me a good deal of them. The background vocals really provide a nice otherworldliness to this one too. Great little tune.
“Ellyptical Machine” has a super groovy psychedelic garage rock sound, which harkens back to some of the earliest psychedelic rock tunes from 1965 and 1966, which isn’t a whole lot earlier, but the genre greatly evolved over the years. Oh wow, there’s definitely some groovy experimental parts to this one, and definitely has some class psychedelic vocal chorus lines that are super tasty. Another great little tune.
“Lovely Lady” is super interesting, and sort of feels like a somewhat experimental jam that’s almost an inverted psychedelic rock tune with the structure of the melody and the drum lines. It sort of sounds like some 1950s sci-fi movie effects on top of a really meandering drum line, with vocals that sing from a different planet into the song. Oh wow, the song evolves quite a bit in terms of sound with some really classic psychedelic carnival type of playing. Oh wow, this one is absolutely awesome and now sounds like song played at a sort of spinning tea cup ride at a carnival. Oh wow, it’s back to the experimental style of the beginning of the song, which definitely sounds like some sort of carnival music from an upside down universe. I’m really digging the effects in this one. The drums at the end really drive home the psychedelia of the song too. Oh wow, the ‘normal’ psychedelic carnival sound of the other part of the song comes on at the end, and it’s absolutely delicious.
“Death of a Nation” has a super interesting sound to it, and definitely feels like a really neat storytelling song compared to the experimental jams of the previous song. The organs filling up the soundscape provides a really nice playfulness while being contained by the subtle framing of the electric guitar on the left, and the driven drums on the right, all while the bass keeps the song propped together from the ground. Super interesting tune.
“Love Eyes” is super tasty right at the start of the tune, and has a really patient playing style from bass, drums, and guitar, which all provide plenty of space for the vocals to breathe. Then, the playing picks up quite a bit, and a pretty experimental-sounding organ picks things up as the guitar, drums, and bass all do their work to bring the song further out there in there own ways while weaving the lines of the organ together with the rest of the tune. Wow, right before the vocals come back on, the playing falls in place both unexpectedly, and extremely well. There’s a really interesting sound from the electric guitar, which has an almost classical guitar/electric flamenco sound to it, venturing even to somewhat of a raga sound. Oh wow, the drums are super interesting as they roll together so quickly at times that it’s hard to make out distinct strikes of the snare, instead forming one super sweet, extended crashing sound. Oh wow, when the organ comes back in the jam gets extended super far out. Everything nearly stops for a moment, when the bass guitar comes back on like a heartbeat returning to the original patient playing. Everything joins back in and the song gets brought far out once more before coming to a nice conclusion. Another super interesting tune.
“Patterns” really feels like it’s wrapping things up from the rest of the album, as there are hints of different distinct flavors that were in earlier songs. There’s almost a bit of a shuffling march feel from the drums – almost even a gallop, which combines very well with the swirling organs to give a super psychedelic sound to the track, which is further enhanced by the subtleties of the electric guitar and bass as they work to add different accentuations to the soundscape. Pretty sweet end to this album.
Wow, this album was super groovy. I’m finding myself digging that Bosstown sound more and more as I continue to delve deeper into it. There’s definitely some 60s pop sensibilities in their playing, though the jams get pretty far out as the album continues along, to the point where the pop sensibilities nearly feel deconstructed. Definitely a really groovy album for those who enjoy psychedelic rock and garage rock, and definitely another enjoyable listen from the Bosstown sound realm. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A