Major Stars — Decibels of Gratitude

Major Stars are either completely unaware that anything ever happened after 1976, or they’re simply trapped in the ‘90s, a time when an overall un-ironic love for early ‘70s bombast-era Rock reached such absurd retro heights that, arguably, rock’s reputation as a comprehensive and forward-thinking form was killed dead on contact. And even though Radiohead tried to rescue the dying music with a Kaoss Pad back in 2000, pretty much everything that has dropped in its wake has been tagged and marketed as a “revival” or a “renaissance,” not giving rock fans much to look forward to. Rock is now all about looking backward, and Major Stars continue to unflinchingly contribute to this phenomenon.

The Who, Cream, Hendrix, and Zeppelin all sound like touchstones on Decibels of Gratitude, the band’s 8th full-length album and their first with new singer Hayley Thompson-King, an absolute belter whose lovely voice can soar above the din but mostly chooses to ape the operatic tenor of the Ozzies or Geddies that these postgrads of live jam performance so obviously revere. A three-guitar attack with extended solos dominates the record and would actually grow quite boring if the band didn’t so aptly balance these elements with three-to-five minutes of melodic singing per track. Album highlight “No Attraction” is the best example of this, as it marries the best song with the most demonstrative playing. And while the melodies never quite touch upon pop, they usually convey a similar upbeat energy throughout, giving listeners with a slightly cooler attitude toward guitar wankery something else to latch onto. The mainstream aspirations that front-load “Autumn Day” could mark the track as any post-grunge alternative song from the ‘90s if its last four minutes of soloing didn’t exist.

Of the five tracks, only the third (“Fuse”) gets dark; it has a sinewy, slithery sound that actually touches upon psychedelia whereas most of the other tracks are content to hint at the same era without offering the appropriate mind-bending sounds. Only the massive closer “Turning for Home,” which hits like a tsunami, really puffs up the chops of its players with sludgy background textures and the kind of overall shapelessness that typically lends itself to the “experimental” tag. Unfortunately, a tendency toward jamming and free form arrangement doesn’t automatically incorporate the headier elements that fans of experimental music want to hear; and all things considered, the band just plays it too safe.

It’s hard to argue with Major Stars’ long-established professionalism, but after such high profile accomplishments as opening for Acid Mothers Temple and recording albums for Drag City, Decibels of Gratitude sounds only like what the band should sound like, with energetic aplomb and no surprises.