siLLy puPPy
BUCKETHEAD - PIKE 54 - THE FRANKENSTEINS MONSTERS BLINDS
13th album out of 60 in 2014 and 84th overall
All sounds brought to you by Buckethead and all instrumental
This one has 3 tracks that clock in at 31:30
The three tracks spell out “Boris Karloff” who played FRANKENSTEIN in all the cheesy 1930s B movies :P
“Boris” (8:12) brings out da funk! Funky bass and a clean guitar that compliments it. As the bass remains funky, the guitar gets more bluesy. The track builds up intensity but it takes a while. The guitar solos get faster as does the bass melody which stays the same
“Kar” (13:58) starts with a short and snappy bass riff. It is also funk based and the guitar is once again clean and bluesy. The guitar licks are a little playful this time around. They are more echoey and like to do some little fast picking stuff while remaining bluesy. There’s also an electronic hum shrouding the whole thing. A few minutes in the guitar gets a little wilder and the bass remains seriously funkified. OMG! As pleasant as this one is is just goes on and on without end without ever changing it up. It’s hard not to like a funky blues based rock track but geez. Not enough variety here
“Loff” (8:27) is a little more upbeat with a heavier drumbeat and the bass is not funky! Well, not obviously so. It does have that same kind of drive. It might just be that it is in a lower range. The guitar is clean and follows the super deep bass line. The guitar line is more melodic than the other two tracks. This one has more of a swing to it and when the guitar starts strutting around it does sound more funky. This one is a lot more interesting than the first two. It goes through the usual motions of building up to guitar solos. They are bluesy as well and never enter virtuosic speed of light type playing.
This one is decently done but not outstanding. While i love the overall sound, it becomes a bit repetitive since it’s one of those that likes to ride a riff to infinity and jam on as if this was a live Grateful Dead album. While this is much better sounding than many similar PIKEs, i just prefer the more sophisticated unique entries in the series. Still though, if you prefer these easier to digest PIKES then this one is a great sounding one. For an album with FRANKENSTEIN in the title i was expecting something more sinister and monstrous