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Not
to belittle the work of stoner rock bands, or to
patronize the work of thousands, but Capricorns clearly
dwell in that genre yet up the ante by plenty. It’s
almost as if they are not part of that scene. On this
third release their playing is so fluid and stylish that
just because of that they deserve to be classified as
something better than ‘stoner’. I am not a
great axeman myself, but it seems to me that the
stereotypes of stoners bring to mind couch potatoes
watching Beavis and Butthead while the stereotypes of
the Capricorns listener (I know there is probably not
such a thing but I am trying to make a point) certainly
needs plenty of more neurons in order to absorb all that
is going on in River, Bear Your Bones.
And what’s
going on is plenty of guitar noodling. If one pays close
attention to the riffs here one would come surprised by how
labyrinthine some appear to be. Never for once going pop
Capricorns take plenty of hints from a couple of genres, mostly
of the hard kind. Using 70’s prog and classic rock and roll as a
start point, Capricorns plays a very organic hybrid rock that
only on occasion sounds modern, the upbeat last half of “Owing
to the Fogs” is one instance.
Unlike most
stoner acts Capricorns is an instrumental band, that means there
is plenty of room for intricate music not to sound intricate.
The technical aspects of the guitar especially are not over
bearing because of the nature of their rock. And when I say prog
rock, no one should feel scared. Capricorns toys with the genre
but in the end plays tunes to the harmony, instead of to the
conglomeration of notes. That said, the rhythmic base of drums
and bass serve a very specific function, provide the backdrop,
however colorful the songs need, it’s never them assuming
starring role.
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