Motherbrain, the dark and heavy new album by Crobot

Motherbrain was released by Mascot Records on August 23rd

Crobot is a hard-rock band from Pottsville, Pennsylvania. The band formed in 2011 and have released three full length albums: Something Supernatural in 2014, Welcome to Fat City in 2016, and their latest release, Motherbrain in 2019. The band has extensively toured in support of their albums and the “Beardos” put on a live show that is both highly entertaining and energetic, with their style of dirty, groovy-rock. If Clutch, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden had a genetically engineered, designer baby, the unholy result would probably look and sound a little bit like Crobot. The band wear their influences on their sleeves, but also transcend them with their own unique sound.

“consistent with Crobot’s best work”

After signing with Mascot Records last November, the band put out their most recent album, Motherbrain, on August 23, 2019. The album is a headbanger from start to finish, characterized by crunchy guitar riffs, tough, high-flying melodic vocals with a sense of humor, and a solid rhythm section. The album has that distinctive Crobot sound created by vocalist, Brandon Yeagely, and guitarist, Chris Bishop, the two original core members. They are joined on the album by Dan Ryan on drums, and James Lascu and Eddie Collins share the role of touring bassist. Here’s the tracklist:

  1. Burn
  2. Keep Me Down
  3. Drown
  4. Low Life
  5. Alpha Dawg
  6. Stoning The Devil
  7. Gasoline
  8. Destroyer
  9. Blackout
  10. After Life
  11. The Hive

Chris Bishop’s guitar sound is unique, making use of several effects pedals which make his sound so recognizable. His style is latent throughout the whole album, providing all kinds of groovy riffs. The album is laden with slow, heavy grooves like on opening song Burn, the darker sounding Drown, and the super heavy track, Stoning the Devil. Some of the album’s crunchiest riffs can be heard on Destroyer and Keep Me Down, which also has a hilarious music video. Some of the best headbangers on the album are the aforementioned Destroyer, and Gasoline, which has a softer touch on the verses.

Brandon Yeagely’s vocals are stylish and very versatile, with a highflying range that can also reach super low, and it’s always good to hear intelligently written lyrics with plenty of puns and wordplay. There are classic-sounding Crobot fight songs like Keep Me Down and Destroyer, as well as some full-blooded tracks like Burn, Blackout, and Hive. Consistent with the themes of their earlier releases, darker lyrics are explored on tracks like Drown, and Stoning the Devil, which both feature some awesome vocal harmonies. Yeagely’s vocal range can really be heard well on tracks like Alpha Dawg and Hive. Unfortunately, most traces of their earlier sci-fi and stoner rock lyrics are absent on this album, leaving something to be desired for most stoner-rock fans.

The rhythm section is tight throughout. Even on more mainstream sounding tracks like Lowlife (which also features a music video) and Blackout, the band spices it up with complex sounding rhythmic changeups. The driving, chunky bass can really be heard well on Blackout and Destroyer. The drums are punchy sounding and the cymbals have a crispy, rock sound. There’s plenty of tight double kick work, as well as some awesome fills at the end of Gasoline, and even a rim-tap tip of the hat to ZZ Top on After Life.

“highly entertaining and energetic”

Motherbrain is a solid album, with plenty of opportunities to sing-along, headbang, and rock out. Consistent with Crobot’s best work, it’s a good followup to Welcome to Fat City, though it never quite reaches the level of the otherworldy lyrical matter or heaviness of Something Supernatural. The sound of the album is also a little more produced than earlier releases, noticeably in the slightly over-compressed drum sound. Overall though, the album still has that dirty, almost raw sound that Crobot is renowned for and it’s also safe to say that Crobot’s sound is definitely as heavy and dark as ever. Check out Motherbrain, today.

Tour Dates

OCT 15 The National – Richmond, VA

OCT 16 Theatre of Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA

OCT 18 The Fillmore Silver Spring – Silver Spring, MD

OCT 19 The Chance Theater – Poughkeepsie, NY

OCT 20 State Theatre – Portland, ME

OCT 22 Rec Room – Buffalo, NY

OCT 23 Hard Luck Bar – Toronto, Canada

OCT 24 The Brass Monkey – Ottawa, Canada

OCT 25 Piranha Bar – Montreal, Canada

OCT 26 The Lost Horizon – Syracuse, NY

OCT 27 The Winchester – Lakewood, OH

OCT 29 The Back Bar – Janesville, WI

OCT 31 Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL

NOV 1 The Music Factory – Battle Creek, MI

NOV 2 V Club – Huntington, WV

The Sonic Sofa Podcast: Babylon Tree, Circus Cannon, and King of None

Podcast Transcript: I’m The Purlenaut and you’ve landed on the Sonic Sofa, your home for stoner rock reviews and podcasts. Check out thesonicsofa.blog to read lots of articles and hear some awesome music. This month, we’ve got some new mystical music by Babylon Tree, the psychedelic aura of Circus Cannon, and the head banging hard rock of King of None. So buckle up. Become one with the Sofa, and prepare for liftoff.

Eastern Tales, by Babylon Tree

First up on the show is Babylon Tree, an instrumental heavy psych band from Athens, Greece. The six member band recently released their debut album, Eastern Tales, which came out on May 30th. On it, the band attempts to capture the sound and aesthetic of the Far-East. Their music is positively Middle-Eastern sounding, employing the use of Persian scales. The album is made up of six songs, each around 8-10 minutes, and each is a richly layered composition. Here’s the second track, called Dunes and Wind.

Ashmedai, by Circus Cannon

And that was Dunes and Wind by Babylon Tree, from their debut album, Eastern Tales. Next on the Sonic Sofa, is Circus Cannon, a powerful four-piece psych band from London. The band honed their sound while rehearsing in unused buildings, and ended up producing a sound that is both unique and eclectic. They draw from powerful influences, but produce a sound that’s unique and which adds diversity to the genre. The band’s newest independent release, Ashmedai, came out on July 4th, and is available for free or “name your price” on Bandcamp. Ashmedai contains four songs, each very different from each other, but tied together by the common threads of riffs, trippy guitar leads, heavy bass, and pounding drums. Here’s the fourth track from the EP, Wendigo.

Weightless Waters, by King of None

You just heard Circus Cannon with the song Wendigo, from the new EP, Ashmedai. Wrapping up the show is King of None, a hard-rock band from Helsinki, Finland. They produce riffy hard rock, with plenty of stoner and prog-rock elements. Weightless Waters, released on April 28, 2019, is composed of six heavy songs. It’s a high energy ride that is arguably their most polished, mature EP to date. The songs range from four and a half to seven minutes. Each song is crisp and tight and it’s a headbanging, hard rock ride from start to finish. Here’es the second track from the EP, called Worlds Collide.

And that was King of None with Worlds Collide, from their EP, Weightless Waters. Thanks for listening to the Sonic Sofa podcast. Check out the Sonic Sofa on mixcloud.com/purlenaut and thesonicsofa.blog. Please support the bands by buying their music and merch. If you have music or an artist that you think should be featured on the blog or podcast, contact The Purlenaut at thesonicsofashow@gmail.com. Go in peace and rock on, Sofanauts.

“Weightless Waters,” the third EP by Finnish band, King of None

Weightless Waters, the third EP by Helsinki’s King of None

King of None is a hard-rock band from Helsinki, Finland. They produce riffy hard rock, with plenty of stoner and prog-rock elements. From the remnants of previous projects, the band was formed by vocalist Miiro Kärki, guitarist Aleksi Kärkkäinen, drummer Patrick Enckell, bassist Juho Aarnio, and guitarist Juha Pääkkö. The group has produced three EPs: the self-titled King of None in 2015, 2016’s Trouble by the Score, and most recently, 2019’s Weightless Waters.

Weightless Waters, released on April 28, 2019, is composed of six heavy songs. It’s a high energy ride that is arguably their most polished, mature EP to date. The songs range from four and a half to seven minutes. Each song is crisp and tight and it’s a headbanging, hard rock ride from start to finish.. The artwork was produced by musician and artist, Petri Lampela. The album is available for sale on Bandcamp and is also available for streaming on Spotify and YouTube.

Throughout the album, the vocals are melodic with aggressive, occasionally growly touches. Always on pitch, they pair well with the groovy, crunchy compositions. Thematically, the lyrics cover a number of topics. Starbirling and Desolator contain sci-fi elements as well as some hints at self-examination and perhaps absurdism. Worlds Collide and the opener, Words of Mine, seem to be more introspective, with the latter even tipping the hat to Carly Simon’s You’re so Vain. Frog Palace and Yellow Snake King contain fantasy-like lyrics, more typical to stoner rock.

Picture credit: Amirasaad Photography

Musically, the entire album is very tight. The guitars are heavy and over driven. There are some great wah pedal riffs, like on Yellow Snake King, as well as some creative double guitar leads, notably in Worlds Collide. Heavy walls of guitars will blow you away, like the fantastically slow and heavy intro to Desolator, but they prove in the same song that they are able to explore softer, more subtle moments, with psychedelic tinges.

The drums and bass are always locked together, like a tight, rhythmic force. The bass sounds heavy and chunky, and can be heard really well on the opening of Yellow Snake King. The drums are relentless, shuffling along with a constant barrage of fluid beats and drum fills, including lots of double kick-pedal work. There’s some nice use of a china cymbal and some intricate drum work on Frog Palace, as well as some really shuffly grooves throughout the album.

King of None have proven once again that they can produce some awesomely fast paced, intricate hard rock. Weightless Waters is an EP that will reward repeat listens, and should be in your music rotation. Support the group by purchasing the EP on Bandcamp today and check out their track, Desolator, below.