Song of the Never Ending Lizard
Pith and the Parenchymas
Released independently
Pith and the Parenchymas have brought their own raw breed of psychedelia to the world with their debut album, Song of the Never Ending Lizard.
While the album has flashes of brilliance, it is held back by sub-par production and an erratic search for a sound.
It opens with eerie ambient noise and feedback before breaking into “Black Triangle,” a high energy song with a rumbling bass-line and squealing organ. The softness of vocalist Chris Love’s voice shifts to desperation as the chorus kicks in.
The song transitions seamlessly into “Say Hi,” the highlight of the album. The music rings out with a sunny day, stoned-in-the-park kind of psychedelia that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Tame Impala album. Through a maze of lyrics speaking of mystical journeys, the chorus breaks and is an instant ear-worm.
The centre-piece of the album is the sprawling “Rainbow,” a 12-minute epic that seems to be trying a little too hard to sound like The Doors.
A mysterious introduction pulls the listener in and leaves them wanting more. However, the mystery becomes monotony as the song drags on before finally breaking into a soaring guitar solo.
As the album progresses into its second half, things get messier. Love starts to trade his sultry vocals for wild, atonal screaming atop violent guitar feedback. At times it seems like Love is failing at an attempt to emulate Jim Morrison in “Ceremony of the Lizard.”
After a few hit-and-miss tracks, “10,000 Years” starts with a calm indie romance melody, but soon it falls off the rails as the band moves towards an off-pitch, shouting finish.
The production of the album is such that the nuances of some of the songs are lost and the music gets murky behind needless noise.
Pith and the Parenchymas show a significant potential on Song of the Neverending Lizard, but it hasn’t been fully tapped. With the right amount of grooming, they could be a force in today’s neo-psychedelic movement, but now they are still a rookie band.
