Brant Bjork – Bougainvillea Suite
Heavy Psych Sounds
Release date: 28/10/2022
Running time: 41:16
Review by: Alun Jones
8.5/10
Brant Bjork must be a very busy boy at the moment. We’ve already had an album out earlier this year from his desert rock supergroup, Stoner, and now here’s a solo effort too. He’s a multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter and no mistake, offering up sonic expeditions of varying styles and pace. Most of all, though, Brant seems to be a decent bloke who’d be ideal company for a beer or three.
For “Bougainvillea Suite”, we’re in a more laid back, but still rockin’ mode. The album is like a combination of Santana and Steppenwolf, full of relaxed but vital summer vibes. ‘Trip on the Wine’, our first song, has a similar stomp to The Door’s ‘Five to One’, but less angsty. The late 60s-early 70’s groove is maintained throughout, with ‘So They Say’ embellished with a sweet, melodic construction and ‘Broke That Spell’ having an early Purple raunch.
Stoner band mate Ryan Gut adds percussion and keys, whilst the final member of that trio, Nick Oliveri, pops up on ‘Bread for Butter’. This track and ‘Ya Dig’ are two of the more direct, heads-down rockers, whilst the extended blues jam of ‘Who Do You Love’ is trippy territory augmented with some almost Stooges-like lead guitar. This last track is a real highlight, it’s like a long-forgotten experiment involving all of the bands I’ve mentioned!
And that’s it: eight songs that whilst not easy listening, can be mellow, psychedelic and still rock your bones. “Bougainvillea Suite” would make perfect summer evening listening, with a beer and a BBQ as the clear sky fades to black, after good times with good friends and a long day shredding a pool. But it was released in late Autumn, so what do I know? Just buy it and enjoy.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Trip On The Wine
02. Good Bones
03. So They Say
04. Broke That Spell
05. Bread For Butter
06. Ya’ Dig
07. Let’s Forget
08. Who Do You Love
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