PLQ MRX - UPSIDEYERHEAD

Philadelphia’s PLQ MRX are a supergroup whose members, Cleetus Alreetus Alrightus – Vocals, Midnight Moses – Guitar/Vocals, Lord Calvert - Keyboards/Samples, Bassist Bob Nohope andDrummer Vinnihana have been involved past and present with the groups Unsane, Ecstatic Vision, Swans and Author & Punisher, that’s quite the roster. So this should therefore be seen as a supergroup of sorts.

Originally known as Plaque Marks, the band put out the Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship EP back in 2017 on the legendary Learning Curve label. Though a decent enough recording it was one which was fairly typical for that label. The change came later with the band not only changing their name but also developing a more outlandish image ala Mr Bungle around the time of the S/T debut. The music also evolved to adopt a more experimental hue to add extra depth to these surface level changes. UPSIDEYERHEAD marks their third release following last year’s CUMGITSUM EP and is being released jointly by Reptilian Records in the US and Totem Cat Records in the EU. The promotional notes state that ‘the result is a sound that is louder, heavier, and weirder than its influences’ and to quote the band “The greatest selection of new, different and exciting tunage to rock yer soul and twist yer melon!”. I’m certainly intrigued.

‘Us VS.Them’ sees eccentric Butthole Surfers Acid Punk mixed in with a little of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s Funky Punk-Blues swagger. There’s also some Mother Superior era Rollins Band present but sans Henry’s more self-loathing and downbeat lyrical content. Finally if that’s not enough to whet your appetite, Stooges Proto-Punk and Garage Rock influences also make their presence strongly known, in fact I would swear this was an outtake from the Ann Arbor legends had this been a blind listen. An exceptionally strong opener. ‘Gansta White Walls’ initially reminded me of The Knack’s ‘My Sharona’ with its heavily rhythmic, almost punk-influenced, drum-heavy sound but were it filtered through Chrome’s pioneering Proto-Industrial sound. A more contemporary comparison would be Lexington, Kentucky’s wrestling obsessed bruising Noise-Rockers Tojo Yamamoto who I have featured regularly on Clean Sheets. However, whoever you draw comparisons to the music still manages to remain startlingly unique, which is no mean feat.

I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear Doom and Stoner style grooves on the record but so is the case with ‘Gentrify My Skull’. Has Matt Pike made an appearance but chosen to remain anonymous and uncredited? The riff retains the crushing riffing that can be found on High On Fire’s ‘10,000 Years’ from that band’s awesome The Art of Self Defence, before they started going down a thrashier Celtic Frost and Motorhead route. That said the last portion of the track ups the tempo considerably with a very cool Crossover vibe but done in the fashion of the aforementioned Mr Bungle and their recent reworked version of The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo, wow. By comparison, ‘Hundred Dollar Hot Dog’ is a blazing full-on Band of Gypsies and Funkadelic meets Monster Magnet (Tab era) sprawling brand of Psychedelic jamming. The feel on this track is much looser compared to that of its predecessors and helps draw the album to a trippy and otherworldly conclusion.

Despite being only four tracks and twenty two minutes long, there is far more going on in terms of musical diversity than most bands manage in a lifetime. This EP is the definition of what ‘progressive’ can and should be and hence a great deal more enticing than the pompous and snoozeworthy likes of Tool, Porcupine Tree and Dream Theatre. Recommended.