The Human Expression was a short-lived garage rock band based in Los Angeles during the mid-1960s. This album, Love At Psychedelic Velocity (1994), was a retrospective release of some well-received singles that the band released as well as some demos recorded between 1966 and 1967. Something of note is that at least two of the singles were mixed by Wally Heider, who is noted for his work with the Grateful Dead. On the group’s Wikipedia page, it’s noted that one reviewer of the band’s work said that the band could have possibly been a bigger hit than The Seeds, and possibly becoming as big as The Doors, should things have worked out a bit differently. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Readin’ Your Will” starts out with a really groovy beat and is soon joined by some guitar work that highlights nicely the sound of Los Angeles-based garage rock during the mid-1960s. I’m really digging the overall sound so far. The vocals have a sort of straining, raw sound that provides a sort of guiding voice amongst the instrumentation. Great track, and I’m stoked to hear more.
Oh wow, “Love At Psychedelic Velocity” starts out with some guitar work that has a quality that I tend to associate with Robby Krieger and The Doors, with a fast paced beat that really drives up the intensity of this track. Oh wow, the track evolves into something that sounds like if The Doors had recorded a surf rock track. Oh wow, the intensity and tension of the track keeps increasing as the track comes to a close. Super sweet song.
Oh wow, “Every Night (Demo Version)” has a cool, self-assured sound with an upbeat tempo that feels like The Doors meets The Blues Magoos. This track really makes me think a lot of “Soul Kitchen” from The Doors’ first album, The Doors (1967). Wow, great track.
“Calm Me Down (Single Version)” starts out with some bright, twangy, and hollow sounding electric guitar, which is followed by a bit of pop-like percussion and some upbeat vocals. Oh wow, this is super sweet. I really dig the vocals in this track; the chorus background vocals mixed with the instrumentation give off a Beach Boys meets Los Angeles garage rock circa 1965 sound, and I’m really digging the result. Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “Optical Sound (Single Version)” begins with some strange sounds and chords from the guitar work that evoke the strange, dark psychedelia that I tend to associate with The Doors. I’m really digging this track so far. Oh wow, tension builds with the use of keyboard and guitar effects, which bring the tune further out into psychedelic territory as the track comes to an end. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Sweet Child of Nothingness” begins with some really sweet, mellow guitar work and a groovy swing in the drums that resolve the tension from the end of the previous track really nicely. Oh wow, the sound of this track feels like some sort of psychedelic cowboy anthem of a traveler who made it all the way to the west, but they still have some traveling to do. Oh wow, it almost sounds like there are some orchestral strings swelling up and down in the background and providing even more sweetness in the process. Wow, great track.
“Room of Shadows” begins with some guitar work and vocals that again remind me of the strange, dark psychedelic style of The Doors, but with a sort of rawness and solemnity that makes the band sound unique from The Doors at the same time. I really dig the ebb and flow of the guitar work as the melody moves back and forth between strangeness and a sweet resolution. Great track.
“Calm Me Down (False Start)” gives you a brief and distant sounding momentary of “Calm Me Down (Unreleased Version)”, which leans even further into some raw garage rock flavors that remind me of the Count Five compared to the near pop-like, Beach Boys-esque nature of the single version, but the background chorus vocals still provide that sweetness reminiscent of The Beach Boys too. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Every Night (Single Version)” feels a bit downtempo from the demo version, creating a sound that reminds me a bit of The Doors with the self-assured nature of the music, while still having a different feel. I’m sort of reminded of Cold Sun, another psychedelic rock band from the era with a sound similar, yet unique from The Doors. Great track.
Oh wow, “Optical Sound (Promo Version)” brings back the strange, dark psychedelic sounds of the guitar work, vocals, and drums that remind me again of The Doors. Listening to the lyrics in this track I’m almost reminded a bit of Jim Morrison’s writing of “Peace Frog”, though less esoteric than Morrison’s style. Great track.
Oh wow, “Calm Me Down (Promo Version)” has a sort of sound that feels like the Count Five with hints of The Beach Boys and The Doors. The build up of tension in one of the vocal lines reminds me of Jim Morrison’s rendition of the Van Morrison classic, “Gloria”. Great tune.
“I Don’t Need Nobody” has an almost melancholic garage rock style, and reminds me of The Gorillaz “Up On Melancholy Hill”. I really dig the swing in the drums, which combine with the twangy rawness in the electric guitar for a sort of psychedelic soft garage rock. Oh wow, the keyboards in the background seem to bring a certain cheeriness to the track that I really dig. Oh wow, the instrumental breakdown at the end of the track has some super flavorful guitar licks in it. Great track.
“I Told Her” starts out with some acoustic guitar and is soon followed by some echoey vocals that make it sound like the track was recorded by a lone performer in a large concert hall, with nobody else in the building but that musician. Super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “Return Nevermore” brings more of the sound of a lone performer in an empty concert hall, but with a bit more raw flavors and a narrative that feels a bit more psychedelic in nature than the previous track. Great tune.
“Judgment of Rejection” has that lone performer in the large and empty concert hall again, but with super sweet flavors that almost remind me of acoustic recordings of Spiritualized. This sweet and raw sounding acoustic song is a great way to finish this listening experience.
Wow, this album was pretty groovy. The Doors is one of my favorite bands, and the sound from this band had a lot of similar flavors while still retaining a unique style. If you’re into psychedelic garage rock from the Los Angeles area in the mid-to-late 1960s, or if you’re into the psychedelic rock stylings of The Doors at all, you might want to consider checking out this album. 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