Friends In High Places

On their 2010 debut, cheekily named Friends in High Places (although it was produced by legendary grunge producer Jack Endino), Seattle's All Time High initially come over like a cross between Nirvana (witness the near power pop sugar sprinkled over "Pollyanna") and the Screaming Trees — really more like the latter at their more focused, least acid-laced moments. But All Time High's penchant for psych-tinged alternative rock (wrought to near perfection on album highlights "Rule of Thirds," "Tight Rope," and "New Urge") doesn't sound overly dated to the 1990s, thanks to the musicians' extensive scholarship in all eras of the Pacific Northwest's distinctive music history. This awareness give songs like "Twistin' the Knife Away" and "Earthquake Bee" the feel, if not the unpolished grit and savagery, of ‘60s garage rock stalwarts like the Sonics, the Wailers, or the Kingsmen (all charter members of the legendary Nuggets compilation). Other cuts like "Land of the Free," "No Mind," and "Astral" flex their hard rock muscles over churning grooves reminiscent of Marc Ford's short-lived Burning Tree or Seattle's own drug-destroyed Sea Hags. Given all of these influences, there may be some concern that All Time High are treading stale waters, but that's simply not the case when Friends in High Places is heard from start to finish, and the listener can appreciate the length and breadth of the group's vision unfolding like a very good acid trip.