Brainwashed - Sunburned Hand of the Man, "Pick a Day to Die"

Written by Anthony D'AmicoSunday, 28 March 2021 00:00 - Last Updated Sunday, 28 March 2021 17:09

I never delved too deeply into the New Weird America scene during its heyday, so I haveprobably heard far fewer Sunburned Hand of the Man albums than most people who areconstantly seeking out freaky underground sounds.  Consequently, I have no idea if there issome CDR from like 2002 lurking among the free rock collective's previous 120+ releases thatexplores roughly the same stylistic terrain as Pick a Day to Die.  I would be surprised if therewas though, as this return (of sorts) feels unusually focused, tight, and muscular for the band. To my ears, that approach suits Sunburned Hand quite well, as the collective churn out someimpressively killer psychedelia on this release (among other things).  That said, they still remainevery bit as unapologetically eclectic, perplexing, and occasionally self-sabotaging as ever,resembling a bunch of gleefully mischievous Western Massachusetts underground luminaries(with amazing record collections) spinning a wheel to determine whether they want to channelCaptain Beefheart, classic krautrock, Dr. John, or some cool folk, prog, or psych obscurity witheach fresh song.  Despite that (or, more likely, because of it), this is an unusually fun, strong,and memorable release.

Three Lobed

It feels weird and wrong to describe a Sunburned Hand song as a "single," but the propulsivelygroovy and synth-driven psych-rock vamp "Flex" surfaced in advance of the album and theband made a hypnotically bizarre video for it, so I guess it counts as one.  Whether or not it isthe best song here is debatable, but I doubt anyone would feel slighted if the entire album wasmerely the burbling, futuristic synth pulse and sinuous bass line of "Flex" extended for fortyminutes.  Naturally, there is absolutely nothing else like "Flex" amidst the other six songs, asthey do not call it "free rock" for nothing.  Also, some of the recordings that appear date back asfar as 2007.  In any case, nearly all facets of the chameleonic collective’s aesthetic yieldcompelling results.  For example, the title piece sounds like Neu! reinventing themselves as aBDSM-themed rockabilly band, while "Initials" resembles a bunch of eclectic novelty recordsplayed at the wrong speeds over a killer space rock concert.  The opening "Dropped A Rock,"on the other hand, is a rippling and tender acoustic guitar piece that gradually smears intosomething resembling a hallucinatory interplanetary zoo.  Elsewhere, "Prix Fixe" initially soundslike John Carpenter collaborating with early '80s Venom, then blossoms into a warmly beautifulpsych-rock outro that I did not expect at all.  Such is the singular genius of Sunburned Hand: Inever know whether to expect a drunken barbeque, some intricate folk music, a channeling of

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Brainwashed - Sunburned Hand of the Man, "Pick a Day to Die"

Written by Anthony D'AmicoSunday, 28 March 2021 00:00 - Last Updated Sunday, 28 March 2021 17:09

classic Pink Floyd, a garage band trying to make a spy movie soundtrack, or some kind of artycontrarianism.  All of that (and more!) can be readily found on Pick a Day to Die, but it all worksbeautifully because the playfully ridiculous, the indulgent, and the tenderly sublime areultimately swirled together into such tightly edited, song-sized doses.

Samples can be found here .

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