Blue Pine

At the nexus of Blue Pine is Carey Mercer's distinct voice, which writhes and squirms all the way through this Victoria-based band's debut album. Like San Diego's Soul Junk, Blue Pine sound like they're falling apart throughout the album, with a rumbling chorus of tremolo and slide guitars covered with a fair share of snare smashing. While Soul Junk's lyrics contrast the chaotic feeling by quoting bible passages meant to uplift the listener, Blue Pine's Mercer keeps his lyrics downright miserable and mysterious. Things digress further as time goes on, as subjects range from laments of love ("Baboon That Ran The Railroad") to indecipherable excursions ("Fur Harness or Let No Beast Be Shackled Lest Doom Fall On Us"). Blue Pine is truly whack stuff and the album's effect is only really felt after leaving it for awhile, as Mercer's wormy snarl crawls in your ear and implants in your brain.