Mike Donovan's back — and he's brought former Sic Alps pal and garage golden child Ty Segall with him — on Peacers. Donovan's latest effort is jam-packed with tunes clocking in at just less than three minutes, making the 15-track album burn right by. It's less a continuation of Sic Alps and more a maturation of Donovan as a musician; the chaos is much more contained, as he opts for a more melodic approach, with noisy outbursts peppering the record instead of commanding it. With Segall in the producing chair, as well as performing on a few tracks, Peacers feels like a lost record from the late '60s or early '70s, trading folkie acoustic numbers for larger rock'n'roll jams such as "Laze It," a song propelled by a driving guitar riff ripped from the classic rock playbook.
Where Donovan really soars is the quieter moments on the record, such as the blues-tinged, acoustic number "The Kid." Armed with only his voice, a guitar and the slightest bit of reverb, Donovan channels his inner John Lennon circa Plastic Ono Band. What makes these quiet moments so much more poignant is the immediate contrast with the louder, weirder tracks on the record.
(Drag City)Where Donovan really soars is the quieter moments on the record, such as the blues-tinged, acoustic number "The Kid." Armed with only his voice, a guitar and the slightest bit of reverb, Donovan channels his inner John Lennon circa Plastic Ono Band. What makes these quiet moments so much more poignant is the immediate contrast with the louder, weirder tracks on the record.