LiquidLight
Reactionary
Reviewed by: Jane Roser
Portland, Oregon quartet LiquidLight combine pop, rock and psychedelic mojo into their new EP, Reactionary, swirling it all together to create a Beatles meets Kula Shaker milkshake with a little Smashing Pumpkins and Oasis on acid sprinkled on top. That’s the best way I can describe this band’s sound on their new six track EP produced by Sam Densmore. Band members Anthony Medici, Cory West, Zachary Rodrigues and Joseph Arnstein are tight and obviously very talented muli-instrumentalists; their passion for thoughtful lyrics and strong melodies are definitely present on this album.
“Suits You Well” and “Free Love” are the stand out tracks here, while at 7:48 minutes “Cause & Effect” caused me to need a second cup of coffee to get through the snooze fest effect this song was having on me. “Nothing Is Real” started off with a trippy intro that reminded me of Flash Gordon getting into a laser gun show down with Ming’s guards right before Queen starts singing “…savior of the universe”. It didn’t really fit with the rest of the song and like stale bubblegum on the bottom of my shoe, I just wanted to scrape that bit off. The rest of the song is quite good though, with a rocking beat and catchy lyrics…until I got to the end of the track and the chorus “nothing is real” inexplicably repeated 18 times in a row (I counted) and I wondered if the needle on my record player had caught. Then remembered I was streaming this on my laptop.
Reactionary has its moments and will be a great purchase for any music aficionado who loves 90s pop/rock, but I’m still waiting for my Lucy in the Champagne Supernova Sky With Diamonds.
Rating: Listenable
