Awesome Color/ Massa Hypnos

Awesome Color
Massa Hypnos
(Ecstatic Peace)

I didn’t know they made bands like Awesome Color any more. Judging by their band photo, though (one of them appears to be 12), they evidently do. Awesome Color could comfortably slot in beside the Pixies, Sonic Youth or Dinosaur Jr (in fact, they have slotted comfortably in beside the latter two, supporting them on recent tours).
The best contemporary comparison to draw would probably be QOTSA, yet Awesome Color are not merely derivative. You get the sense that they are playing the music they really love – and why should a band do anything else? They allow their guitarist to solo, which seems to have gone out of fashion. Or maybe it’s the death of guitarists that can play more than four chords. Equally unusually for a band that is by no means lyric-driven, their singer can, well, sing.
And for a band that wears its hard rock heart on its sleeve, 'Massa Hypnos' is full of unexpectedly melodic songs. With such quality, it’s hard to pick out standout tracks; my personal favourites include ‘Flying’ (pure, beautiful grunge), ‘Oaxaca’ (tribal drumming, sinister, hissing vocals, crazy soloing that descends into chaos) and ‘Slaughterhouse’ (a pleasantly twangling take on ‘proper’ rock).
Awesome Color appear to have imbibed, inhaled and snorted their influences to the point where they have become one, forming a superb 21st century monster. This is grunge – but high-res, full-colour and glorious.