Austin Sound

Some music lends itself to be listened to after imbibing exotic substances. Some music demands it. Then, there is music that aurally inserts pills and potions into the listener’s body with such subtlety that one is trapped under its influence before he can even realize what is happening. Tia Carrera’s latest effort, Heaven/Hell, falls into this latter category. Carrying the listener on a three track spiritual journey, Carrera’s new EP is wonderfully unrelenting, even if at times tedious.

To be fair, with an EP named Heaven/Hell, one can’t expect temporal brevity. Each track lasts a virtual eternity, continually meandering through clouds of flanging guitar and overdriven bass. In normal Carrera fashion, strong basslines supply a loose framework to the songs, allowing drummer Erik Conn and resident guitar wanksmith Jason Morales free reign to explore. This is perhaps Conn’s strongest showing yet, with enough innovative drum fills to make the rhythm section worth studying, not simply acknowledging. Morales never fails to impress, with enough chops and technical skills to dwarf his peers, and seems to live and breathe through his own watery, humming guitar tone. Unusually, Heaven/Hell features stand-in bassist Jamey Simms instead of veteran low-ender Andrew Duplantis; fans can rest easy, however, as Simms could very easily be mistaken as Duplantis’ aural blood brother, and carries on his forebearer’s legacy flawlessly.

While no one can dispute the group’s prowess—even on these single-take recordings, the band’s synchronicity remains watertight—there is at times a loss of vision. Because of the name and the format, one expects a concept album, and this is where the disc falls a bit flat. Though doubtlessly an entertaining track, album-opener “Heaven” remains just a bit too dark, sounding too thematically similar to what should be its diametric opposite. And while the idea of a Black Sabbath-renovated Heaven sounds inviting, the result is less than transcendent. “Hell” remains the stronger of the two title tracks, blasting off at about the 8 minute mark—yes, eight—to carry the heaven/hell dyad to an impressive five minute finale. Unfortunately, The last track, “End of Tape,” seems a bit tacked on, and only serves to carry the album past its logical conclusion. In an album where the cohesion of the title tracks is paramount, filler—especially at the end—is nothing but a distraction.

Regardless of these oversights, Heaven/Hell remains a solid album to set the mood for summer parties and guy-only binge-a-thons. Jason Morales continues to be the closest thing to Hendrix still on this planet, and despite a few unsuccessfully lofty album concepts, his guitar work is still better than sex. Tia Carrera may take the listener to hell and back, but the journey is not at all unpleasant.

Websites:
www.1970tiacarrera.com
Myspace