Year Long Disaster – Black Magic; All Mysteries Revealed

There’s a reason many of music’s most beloved idols aren’t necessarily revered as the most technically accomplished musicians.  Rivers Cumo writes some of the most painfully simple songs out there, Bob Dylan never did too much with his guitar beyond fluffy folk ditties, and Green Day have been effectively using the same chords since their inception.  So how have all of these staples captured the spotlight?  One word: spirit.  Their songs evoke humour, fun, and connect with their listeners’ emotions.  All the technical talent in the world means nothing without it.

So naturally, when a band built on true talent finds itself in the shadow of a legacy, breaking out of the realm of comparison and tapping into their defining energy becomes a challenge.  Thus are my feelings towards Los Angeles based classic rockers Year Long Disaster.  For their sophomore release, Black Magic; All Mysteries Revealed, the trio builds their sound around the familiar stylings of rock legends AC/DC, ZZ Top, and Led Zeppelin – with a hint of early Guns n’ Roses thrown in for good measure.  Vocalist Daniel Davies has a sort of “best of” the aforementioned bands’ vibe, falling somewhere between Billy Gibbons and Brian Johnson.  Musically their riffs sound as if they were ripped right from any classic rock legends – to the point where they almost feel like a cover band.  And here in lies the problem: Year Long Disaster acts as if they are their influences, rather than looking to them for inspiration.

The album comes full of tracks teeming with imitation.  For example, the ironically titled opener, “Show Me Your Teeth,” lacks an essential “bite,” instead taking the safe root and following a predictable verse-chorus-verse-chorus pattern, concluding after a rather anticlimactic bridge.  For the most part the lead guitar just feels stale.  The riffs might technically be “edgy,” but they exist within narrow and predictable range.  Even the showcase choruses, like those found in “Stranger In My Room” and “Major Arcana,” never quite take command of the room like the classics.

Surprisingly, only when the band slows to a crawl do they hit their stride, making “Foggy Bottom” and “Seven Of Swords” clear album highlights.  “Seven Of Swords” takes the acoustic root, tapping into the album’s inherently dark and lonely subject matter.  Meanwhile “Foggy Bottom” features some of the band’s moodiest and most original guitar work.  Even the typically overshadowed bass contributes to a rich and layered backdrop.  Unlike the rest of the album, these tracks ooze personality.

All said and done, true classic rock enthusiasts will love Black Magic.  Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister has reportedly gushed that “Year Long Disaster plays rock and roll music like rock and roll music should be played.”  In a way he couldn’t be more right, Year Long Disaster plays textbook classic rock with the best of them.  But when it comes to defining themselves and not their idols, the band must develop their own sound, or face a career of opening gigs for yesterday’s hitmakers.