The Mushroom River Band
Simsalabim (CD) 2002 MeteorCity
'Simsalibim' is Sweden's Mushroom River Band's sophomore release; the U.S. issue follows the European and Japanese versions by several months. Evidently, the European release was pushed ahead to correspond with a band tour. If you love stoner rock, The Mushies give you all of what you've been craving, and then some. The tuneage on this album is mostly uptempo, just right for head bobbing and horns throwing. Vocalist Spice delivers his alienated, socially critical lyrics in his distinctive melodic scream, which occasionally veers into a more "metal" direction on songs like the eponymous album opener. Its easy to tell why he's perhaps Sweden's most charismatic frontman, at least in the world of heavy music (and after all, what other music world is worth a shit? ha ha). Guitarist Anders Lunusson throws down short, blistering leads left and right, and the rhythm section is what great rock is all about - tight and energetic. The songs form a consistent, infectious groove: standouts include 'The Big Stik Machine' with its dueling guitar and harmonica and 'Change It' with its short acoustic break. The Mushroom River Band brings it on straightforward and soulful, with a passion few others can match. If you're into hard, driving music such as Orange Goblin, Unida, or the Awesome Machine, then spark up on a bong marathon and groove on what The Mushies have to tell you.	1. Simsalabim 2. Bugs 3. Make it Happen 4. Change It 5. My Vote is Blank 6. Tree of No Hope 7. Proud of Being Cool 8. Time-Laps 9. The Big Stick Machine 10. Run, Run, Run Approx. 43 minutes
Reviewed by: Kevin McHugh