Gonzo Morales

Gonzotown: Prologue - The End Of Morales

Written by: PP on 27/11/2012 20:43:41

In a wildly unexpected turn a few weeks ago, Gonzo Morales were crowned as the best rock band at the Underground Music Awards in front of many established contemporaries. And only two months earlier, the band released their debut EP "Gonzotown: Prologue - The End Of Morales", featuring an ambitious concept about a fictitious character Gonzo Morales, who discovers himself in 'Gonzotown' with no recollection of how or why he got there, or how to escape. The city is placed somewhere in North America, and Mr. Morales is tasked with finding out how he got there exactly and how to make his way home, to the tune of blues/retro inspired stoner rock songs.

Basically, take any classic Western movie and imagine that lone desert town frequented by bandits and cowboys with the saloon as the centerpiece of the place. Dusty, wooden structures, a water tower, and plenty of tumbleweed rolling about in the breezy wind is the scenery you should be thinking about, with cowboy hats and the sheriff completing the picture. It's an interesting and well-executed concept from such a young band, so there's plenty to find there should you choose to dig in deep underneath the surface of the album.

The concept is well thought through, but musically and stylistically Gonzo Morales leave much to be desired. They reference the more rock'n'roll oriented mainstream stoner of Queens Of The Stone Age and Mark Lanegan Band, but fall far behind the international class on this one. The songs are decent and well-played, but unfortunately they aren't very interesting outside of the concept. Lot of songs just drone along in a classic stoner rock manner, just without the ability to capture the listener through either hypnotic grooves or immeasurably catchy vocal melodies like their influences. That doesn't mean they're bad songs, just that the band need to focus their songwriting more to get the best out of their songs. Here, it seems that they've spent much more time in fine-tuning their story and left songwriting as a secondary concern.

Download: Beatencrippledburied, Morales Finale
For the fans of: Queens Of The Stone Age, Mark Lanegan Band, Smokesuit, Whores & Thieves
Listen: Facebook

Release date 25.08.2012
Self-Released

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