Dammit if the first minute of this tape isn’t a dead ringer for Boredoms’ Vision Creation Newsun, but don’t let that pigeonhole your perception of the band, or my review of said band (except if it makes you want to hear it, in which case by all means!). If nothing else that first minute of swirling amplifier noise is just a springboard used to execute big ol’ jackknife dive into a 10-mile-deep pool of psychedelic sound that Allston’s Alosi Den takes. And the splash on impact is a wondrous thing, a refreshing splay of cool color and wetness, warbly guitar reverb slipping its way down the back of your neck, that crooning vocal running its fingers through your hair and the drums kicking your legs up and down, treading the swift waters of summer time rock’n’roll. Wow, I took that metaphor a really long way in that sentence, and reading back I think I can say that it all works — all to the credit of this new-to-me band, which does just about everything right here, such that the details aren’t anything to be nit-picked. Rather, the pieces of this band’s music are so fully formed and functional the way they’re arranged, you’ll hardly notice anything stick out as you’re listening, inspiring little five word reviews in your mind like, “These guys just get it.” After all, rock and roll is a sound and a style and a technique and a feeling, and when all those cogs line up and the gears are turning like they should be, lo and behold, the damn thing just works. Now that they’ve got it so perfect, the only question left is… how much more perfect will it get from here? And yet, you can still sense that the band is finding its footing as a couple of the songs drift through some aimless spaces. Nonetheless, only a few songs here — but just a taste, a morsel — and Alosi Den boasts qualities like a little bit epic, a little bit ballad, a little bit blues, a little bit punk, a little bit kraut, and just a whole lot of what I want to simply call “Great.” Get it? Got it. Good.
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