Crystal Bullets / King Tears (studio album) by White Denim

From spigelwii 12/02/2023 14:34

Previously White Denim's most obscure release (limited release as a single and only available on 12-inch vinyl, Crystal Bullets ended up being an actual full LP in disguise), Crystal Bullets b/w King Tears (and of course they've since changed the name of the record to "Relaxed") has been confusing the hell out of me from day one.

Shifting away from the successful garage sound cultivated on Performance and the companion piece Side Effects, the neo-psych-soul sound of (the less-successful) Stiff is back, but the production has more depth and a glossy finish. The songs breathe a lot better as a result and sound more like finished products instead of something you're ACHING to hear the band do live so they can properly do it justice (see In Person if you're looking for a couple of killer live Stiff tracks).

Though the sound continues to morph into whatever suits The James Gang, the band's ability to turn time signatures into grooves remains unrivaled (King Tears, Hired Hand), and the instrumentation on the arrangements is as varied and captivating as ever. What the songs lack in the energy of the first few records, they make up for in the aural qualities present; the record SOUNDS "Relaxed", patient, clean, mature, and professional. Put simply: This record is a joy to LISTEN to, the rewards are exponential in the experience of spinning the vinyl, lying back on the couch (eyes closed), and letting it wash over you. There is always something to discover within the depths of the songs, and while this is HARDLY exclusive to this record, I feel it's important to call it out. Every record needs a champion, and I guess I'll take up that post here.

So...to account for my aforementioned confusion? It lies entirely in the band's apparent desire to hide this record from people. It's a wonderful record, so of course you can't download it or stream it (you can NOW, but you couldn't for nearly two years), you can't know that it's more than just the Crystal Bullets single, you can't know the names of the songs, you can't see WD play the songs live in 2021-2022 because they might have broken up(?), and you can't talk to your music snob friends about it because, for some reason, nobody will give this god-damn-Bonafide-incredible-psych(o)-rock outfit the time of day!

GO LISTEN TO WHITE DENIM!