More Colors of Sound

Over a winding run that began in the late 90s but traces back even further, Boston-area psych band Major Stars have honed their own unique and specific vision of psychedelic rock. Its a sound that at times echoes the ragged power of the Bay Area acid rockers of the 60s, but also nods to the influence of outsider artistry, and stands apart from any obvious influence with the bands intricate triple-guitar arrangements. More Colors of Sound follows 2019s Roots of Confusion, Seeds of Joy, and once again showcases both Major Stars high-output guitar intensity and their mystifying psychedelic songwriting style. The album is made up of eight songs, pared down from a double albums worth of material. This is the second album with vocalist Noell Dorsey, and her dynamic style guides the opening track "Final Analysis" through movements of hard rock raging and subdued, toned-down passages. The production here is markedly clearer than even the bands last album, with the smoking guitar solos a little more discernible, and the smoky murk of earlier recordings all but completely cleared out. "Wrapped Up in Circles" is an exciting swirl of riffs, dreamy breakdowns, and soft explosions of distortion. This many years into their craft, Major Stars sound almost supernaturally locked in, moving in unison through the tense, shadowy grunge of dour rocker "Erasable Time," the prog-pop of "Blackout," and the slow motion feedback workout of epic closing groover "Not Alone." Every chapter of Major Stars work fits nicely within the greater framework of their fuzzy, freaked out mission statement, but every album is a little bit different from the last, as well. Compared to some of their previous albums, More Colors of Sound is among the more straightforward and razor-sharp entries in the Major Stars catalog. Where so much of their earlier work was held together by haze and a cosmic gel, here the individual pieces of the psychedelic whole are more defined, and have a greater impact because of that definition. ~ Fred Thomas