Brant Bjork – ‘Brant Bjork’ [Album Review]

Somewhere between the bong hits and the refrigerator, you’ll start tripping over the guitar and basslines of Brant Bjork’s latest self-titled lab experimentation. While this dab has comedic moments, it stems from a more serious side with its Electro-Harmonix-infused remembrance that can leave one perplexed between beer and the eternal search for a lighter. I mean, they go hand in hand, and sometimes simultaneously. There’s nothing not to love about Brant Bjork’s music as it has that smooth ‘70s groove. Yes, he was an integral part of several desert brothers bands, but this a better grade of medical hypotheses, so make sure you have your card ready before you enter the Bjork Dispensary.

“Smoking from a bong, become a legend when you’re older.” Damn, life should be so simple. This homegrown reeks and reels back to those blacklight basement parties illuminated with Kiss, Santana, and Black Sabbath posters. “I asked her why she’s bored and she said the human race. Who can save ya tonight? The Duke Of Dynamite.”

Shifting gears with a very heavy-handed “Spirit in the Sky” vibe spun at about the right rpm, “Cleaning out the Ashtray” has you loaded on cross tops flying outta Palm Springs with all billboards a blur advertising authentic Native American jewelry. Please lord, don’t let me ditch the El Camino, and why are cars always a calling card when it comes to rock and roll? Well shit, that’s what we did in the ‘70s and ‘80s. We didn’t sit around with our iPods playing video games. We got out and got gross, greasy, grassy, and cruised, baby. Brant’s music is a reflection of great rock and roll. Bass, drums, guitars, and vocals, stripped-down, simple, and clean like the end of a perfect night in the ocean under the moonlight.

In afterthought, this low desert punk isn’t singing songs about jumping on a skateboard and scoring a bag of weed at your local bodega anymore (oiga chamquito puedes comprartir un poco de mota), but a more mature Brant burns rubber in his 327 V8 down the I-10 and picks up a six-pack of 29 Palms on the way home. Who the hell doesn’t want to hang out with that guy?

Brant Bjork Track Listing:

1. Jungle in the Sound
2. Mary (You’re Such a Lady)
3. Jesus Was a Bluesman
4. Cleaning out the Ashtray
5. Duke of Dynamite
6. Shitkickin’ Now
7. Stardust & Diamond Eyes
8. Been so Long

Run Time: 37:44
Release Date: May 29, 2020
Record Label: Heavy Psych Sounds