The James Arthur's Manhunt LP was a record I wish people would have talked about more, including myself. Great record, great band, great dude. JA always seems to be standing just slightly in the shadows, out of the spotlight enough where you have to make an effort to see him. I think it's on purpose. But those who do choose to look outside the hype-sters and flavors-of-the-minute reap the rewards here, from a legendary player on the garage rock scene for many years. From Fireworks to Necessary Evils, to another greatly underappreciated band/record via A Feast of Snakes, to the OG line-up of Golden Boys and other peripheral acts from the Texas and Memphis scenes, the guy has an impeccable catalog behind him. Arthur is in full-on Texan Hawkwind mode here, wrapping one track around both sides in swirlingly psychedelic fashion: steady drum drive (from OBNIII, this guy is fucking everywhere!), quasi-dimensional guitar exploration, oscillating vocals. This was made for a freakout backed by a liquid light show and a tab or two. A meaty single that has me craving for another LP's worth of streched out blasters like this.(RK)
(In the Red Records // www.intheredrecords.com)