Review: The Almighty Defenders – S/T
The Almighty Defenders - S/T (2009) [Vice] // Grade: C
Remember when the Black Lips got a little out of control back in January in India, ending with the premature cancellation of the remainder of their tour and police escort straight out of the country? The band’s now internet famous antics succeeded at not only generating buzz, but led to the launch of their newest musical project, The Almighty Defenders.
When the Black Lips fled India, they ended up in Berlin at the house of King Khan. In a whirlwind eight days, the two acts, accompanied by Khan’s BBQ Show bandmate, Mark Sultan, laid down the 11 tracks that would become The Almighty Defenders self-titled, debut release. Gritty from start to finish, and sounding every bit the product of the impromptu weeklong jam session from which the album was birthed, it’s hard to decipher whether The Almighty Defenders are the next group to watch, or a one-off project we’ll never hear from again. Hints of gospel and doo-wop influence mix with a heavy dose of bluesy garage on the rough around the edges release. While I genuinely love the sound of this album, the execution leaves much to be desired. If I didn’t know the band’s backstory it might bother me less, but both the Black Lips and King Khan are acts capable of their own brand of sophistication and finesse, and I can’t listen to this album without thinking how good it could be with a little more follow through.
Another roadblock standing in the album’s way is that the Almighty Defenders never feel like a group and as a result, this never feels like an album. While all three acts may have been performing on the tracks together, it doesn’t feel like they’re writing these together. Each song has a different of head of this Garage Cerberus leading the charge and the result sounds more like a compilation where each song may as well have be accredited to each act separately.
But If you can get past all of that you will find a collection of songs that are an aggressive mix of catchy and just plain odd. “Bow Down and Die” is a murky and thoroughly addictive, hook-heavy gem. “All My Loving” wails in raspy voiced splendor and album closes with the most interesting of its tracks, a bizarre and nearly incoherent holy rolling sermon titled, “The Great Defender”.
Maybe it was fate that brought The Almighty Defenders to fruition, or maybe it was just accident. Their debut release is as surprising as their formation and hides all the makings of a great musical project if, and when, the band decides to take it seriously.
