Review: Neon Horse – Habit of Creature
Neon Horse – Habit of Creature
When you form a side project, a supergroup, if you will, of elite players from successful bands, it would almost be admissible if they phoned it in. I mean, on paper, the talent is so superior, you might not ever notice if the individuals were complacent or not. It might be forgivable if they put half their hearts into it, ya know?
Not so with Neon Horse. Mark Salomon, Jason Martin, and Steven Dail come roaring out of the gate with “Haskell Moon,” churning and riffing with the kind of energy and passion you’d expect from a band of 19-year-olds with something to prove. This snappy tune clips along with raw, buzzsaw guitars at Queens of the Stone Age pace that would fit right in with a 1975 David Bowie concert at the Whisky a Go Go.
“Nuttin’ There” continues with both pomp and soul, conjuring the feel of “Gimme Shelter” Stones or “Saturday Nights Alright for Fightin’” Elton John. Piano keys reminding us all how tight a band can sound even at high speed.
Who knew that the guitarist behind Starflyer 59, the drummer for Project 86, and the singer for The Crucified could groove this heavy? It’s easy to imagine this band playing live and having the whole place movin’ to their sounds.
“Moana Lisa” repeats a stairstep riff that’s as strong as Deep Purple or Sabbath, but slow and catchy enough to dance to. This EP would be the perfect soundtrack for a Tarantino film.
“I Know That it Can Be Confusing (When It’s All Your Fault)” mixes the snotty, flippant, and sassy sounds with lyrics of equal ‘tude. It’s a musical coup d’etat that’ll make you want to sing it to people.
This amazing collection of musicians sounds like a band. A defined sound, and songs worth repeating. If they were a sports team, I wouldn’t count them out as contenders, because these all stars play like a family.
While they’ve been around as a studio band since their 2007 self-titled debut (which featured a generous 12 songs), this band hasn’t received the kind of notoriety their songs deserve. 2009’s Songs of Love, Defiance, and Delusion only furthered the deserved reputation of equal parts muscle rock with funk and groove.
The only downside to Habit of Creature is its too-short length. No sooner does it start that is stops. Or it seems that way, at least. One can get lost in this EP’s angry joy long enough, but it leaves without the satisfaction of finishing four songs and then flipping the record over for more. Imagine Led Zeppelin IV without side two.
Until we meet again, my friends, I tip my worn, leather cowboy to you. Mad respect, men. Mad respect.
(Velvet Blue)
Just for fun, here’s a couple videos from the first two Neon Horse albums.
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