Slap Guru - Umashi's Odyssey

Slap Guru - Umashi's Odyssey

Sixteentimes Music - June 2020

Psych, blues, stoner, prog

Rated: ****

Madrid-based four piece Slap Guru release their third full-length Umashi's Odyssey this June, and it's more than worth the wait. Mixing 70's hard rock, stoner crunch, and proggy eastern melodies, the band's latest is a far-reaching concept album based on the novel of the same name and covers a wide array of sounds. The diversity of influences at play is made immediately apparent in the first two tracks, as the strings and pastoral vibes of opener "Meeting the Mermaids" are followed up by the retro stop-start shuffle of "Acid One". A piercing lick serves as the track's cornerstone, and each of its quick bursts leaves you eagerly waiting for the next. The rest of the LP continues the pattern of alternating speed and style, such as the excellent contrast between the mid-tempo southern swagger of "The Night With Its Spells" and the high energy rush of "Erkil", whose psyched out solo is an album highlight. The best is saved for last, however, with closer "The Plastic Island". Warm bass pulses along with sunny, bouncing guitar before the track launches into a show-stopping riff, hammering out a warbling eastern melody in a sharp attack that demands repeat listens. Umashi's Odyssey is an epic effort by Slap Guru, loaded with memorable hooks, talent to spare, and a style that traverses influences with ease, making for an adventure not to be missed.

(Written by Shasta Beast)

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