Food “s/t” LP

Another excellent band from right here in Richmond, VA is Food, whose recently released debut LP on Molsook Records offers five lengthy tracks in 40 minutes. And be not misled by the strange simplicity of the band name, which may suggest a certain lighthearted approach, as you'll find that not to be the case when greeted by their unique brand of rhythmic, powerful sludge. Interestingly enough, I feel like it's fairly rare to encounter fast and energetic sludge riffs, but these cats actually burst into such exploits relatively often, and with great success, amidst loads of slower and more pounding midpaced chord progressions, gnarly feedback, darker and/or more melodic excursions that can have the obligatory Sabbath type thing goin' on, and then some subdued "stoner rock" styled riffs to boot (though I've always hated that term, and that style is not at all the key focus on this LP, so don't read too much into my use of that descriptor). While many comparable bands utilize up front and over the top snarls and screams, the vocals here fight their way forth from way back in the mix, basically just yelled through what sounds like a very vague veil of effects and taking a general backseat to the instrumentation—which benefits greatly from an absolutely awesome recording/mix that gives everything the perfect amount of warmth, texture, and breathing room. Good stuff. Just creative enough to keep things interesting and explore a slightly different space than many other such (lesser) bands out there...

Food "March Fourth"

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Molsook Records