Allah-Las Worship The Sun & Show # 528

The Allah-Las second full-length album, Worship The Sun, delves into a 60s California atmosphere. Blending their previous elements of the British Invasion sound, 60s psychedelics and American garage, the band also adds in hazy rhythms of folk and more surf sounds this time. Worship The Sun features a very laidback and leisurely sound that isn’t always as up-tempo as 2012’s Allah-Las release. This is what sets Worship The Sun apart from their first full-length release and is also what perhaps confuses some critics. The laidback sounds found here are highly influenced by a relatable, but sunbaked 60’s California sound, perhaps more so than when it was first explored in 2012.

“De Vida Voz” starts off Worship The Sun with heavy drones of garage feedback before launching into catchy surf and garage rhythms. Its title roughly translates into “the voice of life” as reverb drenched vocals repeat the lines “Voices carry through the canyon”. This album features many lyrics that some might call soul-searching and this song starts it off displaying elements that we will find in the remaining eleven tracks. “Had It All” brings to mind 60s psychedelic garage nuggets with catchy harmonies and Latin drum rhythms. This song blends Allah-Las early sound and new sound perfectly. “Artifact” seems to pull influence from The Chocolate Watch Band, while “Ferus Gallery” shows us the first of two instrumental tracks found on Worship The Sun (the other being the surf and slide guitar country of “Yemeni Jade”).

Other highlights include the jangly Byrds pop sounds of “Recurring”, the folk influence of “Nothing To Hide”, and “Buffalo Nickel”. This early single from the album features reverb sun-drenched guitars and song elements that some might call surf pop. The song also features the thought provoking lyrics of “And we had so much time to live don’t it go by fast/And I have so much to give but that was in the past” which seem to question and search at the same time with the background “bah-bah’s” and sprawling guitar lines. “501-415” reintroduces the fuzz guitar pedal that we first heard in the album’s opening moments. The song picks up the pace a bit, hinting at their deep 60s nugget styled garage roots.

Worship The Sun draws on influence from many bands that sound familiar, yet different at the same time. Throughout the album the sounds of The Animals, The Zombies, The Byrds and Love seem to filter in and out, while newer influences are also brought in. This is evident on the album’s final track “Better Than Mine”, which sounds like the early country rock sounds of Buffalo Springfield. The CD and digital editions of Worship The Sun also comes with two bonus tracks. There is another instrumental track, this time a cover of The Frantics song “No Werewolf” and another original track “Every Girl”, which attacks with a 60s garage clang. As a whole Worship The Sun plays into its title featuring a focused sound indebted to sunny 60s California, but with this sound Allah-Las display a new laidback sound and approach that takes a few listens to sink in. Once it does it stays with you like a vintage ride in a Volkswagen Beetle along the West Coast.

Saturday Night Play List:

1. Mark Sultan - Shadow With The Golden Eyes
2. The Amazing Snakeheads - The Nighttime
3. Echo & the Bunnymen - The Yo-Yo Man
4. What Seas What Shores - Bonaparte
5. Deerhunter - Cryptogram
6. Christian Bland & The Revelators - The Last Summer
7. Johnny West - Murder Dressed As Mercy
8. Neil Young - On The Beach
9. Leonard Cohen - Diamonds In The Mine
10. Mexican Knives - Turner
11. Big Black - The Model
12. The Unusuals - Measure For Measure
13. Frank Black - Whatever Happened To Pong?
14. La Luz - Brainwash
15. Allah-Las - 501-415
16. Allah-Las - Better Than Mine
17. The Dead Kennedys - Kill The Poor
18. Link Wray - Radar
19. The New Dimensions - Junker
20. The Cramps - Blue Moon Baby
21. Devo - Praying Hands
22. The Psychedelic Furs - Fall
23. Iggy Pop - Five Foot One
25. Paul Jacobs - Soul Catcher
26. Thee Oh Sees - Ugly Man
27. Public Image Limited - Lowlife
28. Magazine - My Mind Ain’t So Open

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for September 27. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.