Gadzooks Vol. 1

Caleb Landry Jones dives even deeper down the psych-rock K-hole on his sophomore LP. Arriving just one year after the Texans sprawling debut, Gadzooks, Vol. 1 is every bit as chaotic as its predecessor, with a freewheeling and deeply experimental bent. After building an impressive career as a film actor, Jones launched an alternate career as an indie singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Upon recommendation from auteur Jim Jarmusch, he was added to the roster of edgy Brooklyn imprint Sacred Bones, which released his first psychedelic opus, The Mother Stone, in 2020. Written in New Mexico during a dystopian film shoot with Tom Hanks, his follow-up is a kitchen sink of interesting ideas and parts. Resuming his collaboration with producer Nic Jodoin, Jones presents a mixture of ornamental psych-pop, prog rock ambitions, and a dose of wiry punk energy. Sequenced together without gaps, the tracks run up against each other in disjointed crescendos and manic mood swings as Jones sings in a variety of affected timbres and accents. After eight tracks ranging in length from 39 seconds to almost five minutes, Gadzooks closes with This Wont Come Back, a freewheeling 20-minute assemblage of wonky experimentation whose ethereal second half is surprisingly the albums most satisfying section. ~ Timothy Monger

俳優としてカンヌ国際映画祭の男優賞を受賞するほどの実力を持つ彼だが、音楽家としての活動も忘れてはいけない。このセカンド・アルバムは初期のピンク・フロイドを彷彿とさせる60年代後半のサイケデリック・サウンドを現代に蘇らせたような内容。もちろん前作の延長線上にある音楽性だが、今回はそれがよりカラフルでスペイシーなのが良い。特に20分を超える大曲"This Won't Come Back"は必聴だ。
bounce (C)赤瀧洋二