John Garcia
Napalm
John Garcia’s solo project was expected in 2008 but has only surfaced now. What took so long?
Well, after founding the desert rock group, Kyuss, which also featured Josh Homme, Garcia was involved in other projects before bringing Kyuss back in 2010 as Kyuss Lives! A court case by Homme saw the name changed to Vista Chino, which itself has now been disbanded. And out of the drama, at last, has emerged Garcia’s cumbersome debut.
Opener, My Mind, sums up the flaws of the album with overly grainy vocals and limited melodic progression. It relies too heavily upon shifting instrumental distortion to create interest. Rolling Stoned and 5000 Miles show how placing such emphasis on one element only deadens a song. Only occasionally does the distorted obsession work, as on The Blvd with the slow licks of the guitar reigning in the listener and demanding to be heard.
As a whole, this album offers little of interest and is tonally uncomfortable as it stays on one plane.
At times, you almost connect with what Garcia’s saying, but for most of it you are left asking, ‘why?’
LIAM APTER
