Ganglians - Monster Head Room Album Review

Ganglians are a four piece from Sacramento for whom the last fourty-odd years of musical history seem to be a mere inconvenience. Their debut album, Monster Head Room has been waiting almost a year for a UK release, much to the chagrin of a cabal of bloggers who it appears have the same Pet Sounds referencing point of view and a thing for wigged-out conspiracy theories.

Given that Fleet Foxes and a number of other now prominent alt.whatever artists emerged from a similar point in the ether it seems risky not to check the quartet out, but although Monster Head Room displays a resolute passion for The Beach Boys, don't expect Ganglians on Letterman any time soon.

Whereas 2010's musical battle lines are becoming clearly drawn between the oil and water of Simon Cowell's post-modern Tin Pan Alley and the likes of MGMT's head fried experimentation, Monster Head Room rejects neither. Opener Something Should Be Said is in Brian Wilson's best three and four part harmony traditions, a reminder of a time of greater naivety. But this in essence is the beginning of the journey; Modern African Queen is a beach campfire singalong, whilst 100 Years and Valient Queen are taught, uncomplicated slices of garage rock.

None of these can compare though in terms of psychedelic whimsy to The Void, a sprawling, out of focus trip into some kind of dank lo-fi cave, part original Star Trek theme, part Arthur Brown if he'd been raised in Wichita not Whitby.

It's no longer possible to make Timothy Leary's exhortation to 'Tune in, turn on and drop out' into a way of life; if it were, Monster Head Phone would be on your turntable dude, floating around at 33 and 1/3 RPM. Groovy.

Andy Peterson