Desert Sessions, the Vol. 9 & 10 “I See You Hearin’ Me / I Heart Disco” [Ipecac] (33 RPM)

You hold the latest two volumes of sweltering desert rockin’ stoner metal, spawned from the arid wastelands of Palm Desert, CA. Josh Homme (Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age) had the crazy idea to haul power generators out into the sandy barren flats of Southern California and record these ‘Desert Sessions? with arguably ‘well-known? musicians whose talent and popularity were not far outside the mainstream. Guests this time around include the Vandals? Josh Freese, Polly Jean (P.J.) Harvey, ex-Marilyn Manson bassist Twiggy Ramirez (aka Jeordie White), WEEN’s Dean Ween, Joey Castillo (Danzig, Q.O.T.S.A.), Troy Van Leeuwen (A Perfect Circle, Q.O.T.S.A.) and Eleven’s Natasha Shneider. Ambitiously driven and exceedingly solid selections on both volumes 9 & 10. Occasionally exploding with intensity (Covered In Punk’s Blood) swarming with edgy tones (Crawl Home) and playing with mid tempo grooves (I Wanna Make It Wit Chu) the mesmerizing sounds herein defy expectation. Fuzzy guitars, Spanish acoustics, superb vocals, harmony, weird effects, and straightforward efficient drum beats. Sounds like an eerie acoustic acid trip at times (A Girl Like Me) at others a euphoric dirty blues barrage (Creosote). Even a bit of spooky desert funk sifts through (Subcutaneous Phat). Stylistically diverse yet extremely accessible, The Desert Sessions 9 & 10 should serve you well. Drop the needle, bitch!