Psy-Fi

The Gris Gris – The Gris Gris


1. What were your VERY FIRST impressions on listening to the album, say from the first five minutes in?
Retro psych-rock.

2. What did you think of the opening track?
See above answer.

3. What did you think of the next track?
Reminded me of music from the first Pink Floyd album crossed with 60's Italian movie soundtrack psych.

4. Did you like the vocalist? Hate him/her? Any impressions?
Not bad, not great. Sounded fairly typical for the genre.

5. Did the music (only) generally appeal to you, or not?
Some of it was OK. Most of it just went in one ear and out the other. Nothing really stuck with me.

6. Did the album get better or worse as you listened to it?
Somewhat better

7. What did you think of the lyrical content?
Same answer as #5 above.

8. Did you like the instrumental parts?
Same answer as #5 above.

9. What did you think of the production?
Sounded good for the most part.

10. Did you know of this artiste prior to listening to the album, and if so, did that foreknowledge colour your perception of this album?
Had heard of them but hadn't heard anything by them.

11. Is this, generally, the kind of music you listen to or not?
When I'm in the mood for this type of psych, I almost always listen to 60's psych. Very few of these retro psych-rock bands do anything for me musically and/or lyrically.

12. Assuming you listened to the album more than once, on repeated listens, did you find you liked the album more, or less?
Listened 4 times. It did grow on me a bit but not enough to make me want to add the album to my music collection.

13. What would you class as your favourite track, if you have one?
Me Queda Um Bejou (beginning at about the 2 minute mark.)

14. And the one you liked least?
Raygun.

15. If the album in question is a debut, did that fact allow it, in your mind, any leeway, and if so, was that decision justified or vindicated?
Didn't make any difference to me.

16. Are you now looking forward to hearing more from this artiste, if you have not heard any of their other material?
They didn't do anything much for me... I thought the songs were forgettable rather quickly. Probably won't bother looking into anything more by this band.

17. Were you surprised by your reaction - positive or negative - to the album?
No. Had heard of them before this but hadn't heard anything by them and didn't look into them before listening.

18. Did the album end well?
The last track was OK but I thought it sounded rather sloppy and weak compared to the other tracks on the album. Sounded like a rejected demo from the Violent Femmes.

19. Do you see any way the album could have been improved?
No. Nothing I can think of at the moment.

20. Do you think the album hung together well, ie was a fully cohesive unit, or was it a bit hit-and-miss?
It didn't seem particularly cohesive but it hung together about as well as the average psych-rock album can.

5/10

__________________

She's a Brick House

Aloysius

The Gris Gris – The Gris Gris


I really wanted to like this album more than I did. I really admire the sense of freedom and some of the unexpected choices they made in the sounds and arrangements. Unfortunately the songs themselves I often found uninspired, especially toward the second half of the album. The vocals worked well at times, on the opener Raygun there was just the right kind of reverb to give a really spaced out psychedelic vibe. At other times I found his wobbly pitch too much - I do appreciate a vocal that hasn't had all it's humanness pitch-corrected to oblivion, but for an album with a great deal of vocals I don't feel he has the chops to pull it off.

If this were an EP of the first 4 tracks I'd give it a much higher score, but for now 6/10.