(2021) Komodor - Nasty Habits          



Review:
The world of Psychedelic Rock has enjoyed a population resurgence over the past couple of years, with all manner of newcomers coating their grooves in a warm, oscillating fuzz. In such a world it helps to gain patronage from a respected name and French sunshine crew Komodor. Coming off their 2019 self-titled EP, Brittany’s own Komodor decided to go one step further, recording their 70s tinged rock n’ roll on equipment you’d actually use in the 70s. They even took the time to have the record mastered by Jim Diamond, the Detroit producer famous for working with the White Stripes. How does it all sound, though? In the age of laptop metal, Nasty Habits stands out in the best possible way. You can tell tubes are pushing this record thanks to the crackle of the bass and rhythm guitar. The scratch of the distortion makes the sound of the guitar sound like it’s bursting to get out. The spring reverb on the vocals is beyond lush, and the mix is just hot enough to set some vintage stereo systems afire. Actual lyrics are a big muddled, but Slyde Barnett’s vocals are on point. The real harmonizing is with the guitars. Despite aiming for a Detroit sound, the twin leads on songs like “Just An Escape” take the time to reach across the pond and tag Thin Lizzy a bit. Every song on Nasty Habits is boisterously joyous, like testifying at the church of rock n’ roll. Sadly, organ doesn’t come until album closer “Moondrag”, but we do get some gentle analog synths on “Believe It”, along with a bitchin’ harmonica solo. The only way to describe the drums throughout the record is a word we rarely get to use: “rollicking.” They have that stomping, swampy sound that can’t point anywhere else but the seventies. If one must nitpick (and one must always nitpick), the fact that the tempo never lets up might demand a lot of the average listener. No sitting back and getting blazed on this record. Detroit Rock makes you work for it. Iggy Pop would be proud of Komodor for not letting up, but Iggy also has an out-of-body experience every time he’s onstage. “Mamacita” offers a welcome change of pace, with a tribal beat and a spooky, bluesy tone that evokes the West Wild more than the Midwest. Other than that, this is the record you wanna play when you wanna jump around with your friends and maybe smash some furniture before the night’s out. There’s a great Bob Seger piano behind the title track, but burying it behind a thick wall of fuzz bass means we won’t be hearing this one in a car commercial any time soon. One of the best sounds on Nasty Habits is at the end of “Debt City”, where you can hear the band and their crew laughing and hollering as they record. Komodor sound like they’re having fun making music that’s fun, and that makes me appreciate the effort. Retro rock acts tend to raise eyebrows these days because they copy the aesthetic so much they forget to bring the energy. But Komodor is no Greta Van Fleet. They’re not copying the past, they’re introducing it to a new generation of fans. After a slog of over-produced programmed metal, they’re a great breath of fresh air for any rock fan to close out the year on.


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Track Listing:
1.Give Up 03:50
2.Believe It 04:23
3.Set Me Free 02:56
4.Just An Escape 04:04
5.Mamacita 04:02
6.Nasty Habits 03:58
7.Heavy Maria 02:57
8.Debt City 03:34
9.Through The Highway 02:43
10.Washing Machine Man 03:10
11.Moondrag 03:00


Media Report:
Genre: garage, psychedelic rock
Country: France
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits