Sometimes it’s vexing when a new band’s press kit tells you what other bands they sound like. As a reviewer, this means you’re not able to listen to the music without prejudice. You’re going to compare the newer artist to the bands that their press agent just told you they sound like. In this case, we’re informed from the outset that we’ll like Oregon’s Supplemental Pills if we like Spacemen 3, The Velvet Underground, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
I am delighted to report that Supplemental Pills does in fact sound like those bands, but takes those influences and melds them together into something new. They are less derivative than a million other psych-rock bands that also cite these same three bands as their influences. Supplemental Pills takes elements from those acts; Spacemen 3’s drones, the Velvet’s freakouts, and Jonestown’s muttered
strum-alongs, and crafts songs that can remind the listener of the comforts of those established acts, without resorting to pastiche.
Supplemental Pills’ second album, “No Easy Way Out,” is a pleasure to listen to if you like the aforementioned bands (and I do), and the album also does interesting things departing from that pre-established framework. The album kicks off with a cover of the Mark Lanegan song “Judgment Time,”
filtered through a wash of shimmering guitar and keyboards. Sure, the first word on the album is “Jesus,” and I thought I was going to be in for a full album of Spacemen 3 worship. But then they immediately take a hard left turn with the shouted chorus of “Rest My Soul,” probably the heaviest track on the album. Then they swerve again with the 10-minute psych-drone build of the emotional title track.
Supplemental Pills reminds this reviewer of other influences too, besides the three cited above, particularly on the track “Truth” which sounds like Neil Young fronting a particularly vicious iteration of Crazy Horse. And the closing song, “Goodbye Reno,” has (intentional?) melodic echoes of Pink Floyd. Album highlight “Babylon” reminds this reviewer of the intensity and wild-eyed sincerity of “A Storm in Heaven”-era Verve.
There is a tragic elephant in the room with this band, and I debated trying to turn in this review without mentioning it. But Supplemental Pills’ new release is going to be hard to process without acknowledging the death of bass player Aron Christensen. Christensen was murdered while on a solo hike in central Oregon, along with his four-month-old puppy, King Buzzo. Details are frustratingly hazy, but it seems like inept rural police work may have contributed to his murder still being “unsolved,” even though the police originally arrested a “couple of interest.” This review isn’t the place to explore the mystery, but we encourage you to check out the memorial website Aron’s family put together, featuring his music and artwork, as well as numerous news articles and opinion pieces about the bungled investigation. (There’s also an adorable picture of Buzzo.)
Fortunately, Christensen had finished recording all his bass and synth parts for “No Easy Way Out,” and the band was near completion of what would end up being a tremendous album. They were already in the mixing process, but they did tweak a few lyrics in light of the tragedy, particularly on the title track, which now asks questions like “What does it all mean?” and “Why are we here?”, while also having some
heartfelt commentary on the murder from the other band members, buried low in the mix.
The band plans to continue on, with Christensen’s friend and roommate Andy Foster stepping in to pick up bass duties. Overall, this is a fine album, and would stand as such without knowing the tragic backstory. Granted, circumstances of its completion give the whole project a heaviness that can’t be ignored. But it’s a great record, and a fine achievement, especially for a band coping with a major tragedy. May they long continue to honor their bandmate’s memory.
Social Media Links:
supplementalpills.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/SupplementalPills
