1 Mar 2010

ON THE DECKS # 11 CARLTON MELTON



CARLTON MELTON
Pass It On Mid-To-Late Records

For those of you familiar with San Francisco’s music scene of the 90’s, you might remember the band Zen Guerilla. Fast forward a number of years and we find members of Zen Guerilla recording in a geodesic dome in northern California, under the moniker of Carlton Melton. Unlike the reved-up garage rock of Zen Guerilla, Carlton Melton explore sound in space creating a heavy and far out sound that is part cosmic, space, and kraut.

Over two sides of reddish brown vinyl the band weaves in and out of 5 mainly improvised tracks that sound big and dense, as one would think of music that was recorded in a dome. The album kicks off with When You’re In which is a cover of a Pink Floyd song. Carlton Melton has done what few bands do with a cover…they made sound it like one of their own songs using the original as a template for the band to explore their sound instead of repeating what the originators have already done. The next track Found Children takes the intensity down a bit. This songs gently flows like light ripples on a breazy lake. A great sound track for closing your eyes and watching the phosphene light show in your mind. Side one closes with the short choatic track Off The Grid. Definitely different from everything else on the album but still fits in perfectly. Very tribal and alien sounding.

Side two begins with Digging In (F.F. Shite). The track opens with a synth drone that shifts shape opening up to a neo-kraut motorik vibe that is led by a steady beat…sounding like if NEU! ate a fist full of downers before recording Hallogallo. Slow and sludgy the guitars are heavily drenched in the reverb and echo of the dome. The spacial quality of this track is so openand free flowing. Pure bliss! The album ends with Sequoia, a track that has the feel of a smoldering fire… burning hot but tranquil in its intensity.

This is a record that breathes and lives in space. I bet if you went to the dome where the album was recorded you could still hear the music bouncing around the room…trapped in the dome creating an undistinguishable wash of sound to bathe in for an eternity. This album is highly recommended for any fan of neo-psych or space rock. Get your hands on it before it’s gone.

For more in formation on Carlton Melton visit them online here…