This Minnesota-based outfit, The Lone Crows, is apparently pretty big in Germany. Big enough, anyways, that the German label World in Sound reissued their debut last year, which landed them on my radar. And hey, if there’s a retro-psych revival going on across the pond, then these guys would really fit right in…
Sophomore effort Dark Clouds kicks off on a spacey, jazzy note with “Next Thing I Know,” before “Anger” gets bluesier, if not necessarily madder. “Out of Time” rolls out some pretty decent retro-rock riffage, complete with far-out guitar solo, before a couple of six-minute tunes take things in a lighter, airier direction. “The Dragon” might be my favourite tune on here. It has a whole lotta Led Zeppelin worship, but there’s nothing wrong with that!
One thing that’s clearly missing, however, is that dirty, gritty, garage-rock feel of some of those lost chestnuts the band is probably trying to emulate. This thing is cleanly, professionally produced to the point where it almost sounds sterile… but something tells me they might be better live.
