Strange Hexes (With Two Part Beast)

The touring guitarist for New York’s Yeah Yeah Yeahs and member of Alaska!, Lowercase and Lou Barlow’s New Folk Implosion, Imaad Wasif takes his own rock power-trio into some seriously apocalyptic psychedelic territory, reminding one immediately of the spirited jaunts initiated by the Bevis Frond. “Wanderlusting” ends in a torrent of twisted, screaming guitar-noodling. The initially echoed vocals haunting “Unveiling” conjure up elements of T. Rex while the guitars chime with the ghosts of Neil Young at his most wired 3 AM extreme and Black Sabbath at their most jammy. Melodies chase down empty hallways with a sense of impending horror and doom (“Seventh Sign”). He sings “God I miss you” during “Halcyon” with a convincing sense of devastation as the guitars pile up. “Oceanic” offers soothing backing vocals to offset Wasif’s own splintered emotional torments. “Spell” begins as a gentle ballad before building into an organ-guitar maelstrom in just three minutes. It’s amazing what three musicians can accomplish in a room when the vibe is right.