Radio Moscow is a psychedelic rock band from Iowa that was formed in 2003. Though I don’t see it on the group’s Wikipedia page, they seem to be named for the radio network of the USSR. At a quick glance, however, it seems the band has been compared to a number of classic psychedelic rock and psychedelic blues bands from the late 1960s and early 1970s, including Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Blue Cheer, Jeff Beck Group, and even The Allman Brothers Band, which is getting me pretty excited to give the group a listen. This album, Radio Moscow (2007), is the group’s debut record, and they’ve released four other studio albums since. With that said, I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Introduction” starts out hot with a big, quick, beat and some super groovy wah-pedal’d guitar work with a tone that reminds me very much of Jeff Beck Group. I’m also vaguely reminded of The Stooges album that I listened to recently. Great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Oh wow, “Frustrating Sound” starts out with a super groovy segue in from the previous track with a mellow bass/guitar line. Oh wow, I’m really digging the sound of this track. I’m reminded a lot of the psychedelic blues rock sound from the late 1960s and early 1970s in the guitar and drums in this track. Holy smokes, the jams in this track keep on growing more and more, and almost have a bit of a stoner rock sound to them, especially as they begin to mellow out while still building up momentum. Holy smokes, the jams in this track just keep on giving. Awesome tune.
“Lucky Dutch” starts out with a sort of lo-fi beat, and some sweet, somewhat mellow, heavy bluesy riffs come in. I’m almost reminded of Tony McPhee and The Groundhogs with the bluesy guitar lines in this track so far. Holy smokes, the track breaks through into a new movement with some heavy cymbals and some super sweet licks. Oh wow, everything but the bass line falls out for a moment before breaking through again with some heavy percussion and some face-melting guitar playing that reminds me of some sort of blend of stoner rock and the bluesy styles of Jeff Beck or even Jimi Hendrix. Holy smokes, I’m really digging the wah pedal on the lead guitar work in this track, especially as the rhythm guitar keeps things grooving along with a sort of crunchy tone and some sweet chords. Great track.
Holy smokes, “Lick Skillet” starts out with some acoustic guitar that gradually plays more bluesy licks with some light percussion in the form of a tambourine. Oh wow, an electric guitar gradually comes in with some super bluesy licks as well, and then the track locks into an electrified blues groove that reminds me a ton of Tony McPhee and The Groundhogs again. Oh wow, the track changes up again into what seems like some sort of stoner rock 12-bar blues movement, especially in the rhythm and bass line. Oh wow, the electric guitar really digs some super groovy blues licks. Holy smokes, the track picks up some super interesting and super groovy psychedelic flavors that almost have a sort of Santana sound, especially in the percussion. Great instrumental track.
“Mistreating Queen” starts out with a sort of bubbling bass line, and is gradually joined by some bluesy guitars and vocals that feel reminiscent of Jeff Beck Group again. Oh wow, I really dig the movement that the track as the instrumentation all seems to come together to launch into a super groovy and flavorful jam. There are some classic blues chords/riffs interlaced with throughout the jams, which come across as a sort of psychedelic and stoner rock blend that I’m really digging. The drums especially remind me of stoner rock. I’m really digging the sort of deep, bubbling bass line in this track, as though you’re hearing a musical representation of a bubbling tar pit. Great track.
“Whatever Happened” starts out with some classic hard blues rock flavors reminiscent of The Jeff Beck Group circa 1970. Oh wow, this track keeps on building up with bluesy and stoner rock jams in a super groovy way that’s keeping me listening closer and closer. I’m somewhat reminded of Gorilla Pulp, a hard rock and stoner rock I listened to recently. I really dig the snare in this track, especially as the bass and electric guitars groove along with a classic blues rock feel. Great track.
Oh wow, “Timebomb” gets grooving with a classic bluesy intro that reminds me a lot of Tony McPhee and The Groundhogs again, while there’s still a sort of relaxed psychedelic approach in the verse that gives the track a lot of dynamic feel. Holy smokes, the track suddenly and seemingly effortlessly switches to a psychedelic rock movement that has a super groovy far-out sound. Great tune.
“Great Blue Sea” begins with a big, syncopated kick drum, almost giving a bit of an ominous sound at first. Holy smokes, some super flavorful blues licks come in from what nearly sounds like an electrified acoustic guitar, and then an actual acoustic guitar comes in and adds some super groovy bluesy accentuations to the other guitar. It almost sounds like old delta blues meets stoner rock, and I’m definitely digging the sound. Oh wow, the track changes up a bit, to a sort of tighter, tension-building bluesy groove. Oh wow, the track mellows out a bit as the acoustic guitar comes back in and releases some tension. This song has a sort of classic 12-bar blues feel, which I always enjoy when I hear, and then you add in some of psychedelic elements like the reverb in the vocals and the accentuations in the percussion, and suddenly I’m pulled to the edge of my seat to listen closer. Super sweet track.
“Ordovician Fauna” has a really interesting raga sort of sound at the beginning the sitar-sounding instrument at the beginning, which is accompanied by a backdrop of sound effects from keyboards and guitars that seem to dissipate endlessly into the aether of the universe. Wow, great track.
Holy smokes, “Fuse” gets grooving right away with some high-octane, distorted, electric blues guitar licks. Oh wow, the track launches into an all-out jam with some hard blues rock flavors melded with psychedelia and stoner rock. I’m really digging the bass line in this track. Oh wow, one of the guitars seems to take a left turn back into the raga territory from the previous song, and somehow meets back up with the other bluesy guitar for a super groovy resolution to that movement in the song. Great jam track, and a super groovy way to finish the album.
Holy smokes, I’m glad I checked out Radio Moscow tonight. The album sounded like a medley of some of the classic hard blues rock groups that I enjoy from the early 1970s like The Groundhogs or The Jeff Beck Group, while having a sort of psychedelic-tinged hard rock and stoner rock sound that reminded me of more modern acts that I dig like Dead Meadow or Gorilla Pulp. If you’re into hard blues rock and psychedelic blues rock from the early 1970s, or if you’re a fan of hard rock and stoner rock groups from recent decades, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A