Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Prayer for Animals- Swell (preview)


Prayer for Animals
…from the upcoming LP Swell
www.myspace.com/prayerforanimals

The four-track album is a preview of Prayer for Animal’s upcoming summer release Swell. Hailing from Mansfield, Texas (with the exception of the drummer) the band is now based in Austin and consists of Brent Sluder on electric piano/organ and vocals, Jeremy Jenkins on bass, Ryan Gitman on drums, John Pitts on guitar and slide guitar and Adam Brisbin on guitar and vocals. Both Brisbin and Pitts split lead guitar duties while Brisbin and Sluder split vocal duties.

The first track “Recollection,” contains a psychedelic Doors-y, Thirteenth Floor Elevators element permeated with vintage guitar tones. “Neutral Bees,” a melodic fusion of rock, blues, captivating vocals and poetic prose--- “Neutral Bees don’t sting unless they eat, heaven found a reason yet to sting,” is the probably the grooviest track of the album. The experimental guitar riff featured in the track compliments Sluder’s whiskey soaked vocals suitably and creates a 1970’s feel. The concluding track, “Brains,” begins slowly with a soft tambourine jiggling, slide guitar picking and progresses into an explosion of psychedelic rock.

This short preview sells elevated expectations of the full-length album which is set to release this summer- embracing a cool late 1960’s-early 1970’s epoch and being a perfect choice to put on at chill get together.

The album’s art is simple and consists of a coffee brown fabric decorated with flowery paisleys pasted onto the white surface of the case. The interior flaps include the band’s name in a bubbly design and the four track titles etched in back pen; the back is plain.