Trying to get back into a proper working groove this morning, as there is (long-past-deadline) writing to be done; thus trying to purge myself of a deeply cursed earworm. (Bowling for Soup, thanks for asking. No idea how that fucker got in there.)

Stoner-space-doom it is, then—more particularly, Lowrider’s “Ode to Ganymede”, from 2020’s excellent Refractions:

The bit at 3:50 where the Hammond clone comes in to take a solo? They played an extended version of this joint when L____ and I saw them in Stockholm back in November last year, and I don’t mind saying that I just about went and lost my shit completely at that point in the tune.

(There are also some rather idiosyncratic deep-filtered synth blorbles elsewhere on this album, whose restraint is both uncharacteristic for the genre and perfect for the material. That the keys guy was a little Michel Foucault look-alike tucked away at the edge of the stage, working with a band who very much looked like the denim’n’patches stereotypes you’d expect from this sort of stuff, only added to the magic IMHO.)

I can’t remember a time when the Hammond has actually been a fashionable instrument within my lifetime—though I recall it having a niche-retro appeal around the time Big Beat peaked in the late 90s; anyone remember the Propellerheads? But there’s something about it that has always called to me, and hearing it in the context of heavy, sludgy music like this seems to explain that appeal. The long heritage of Deep Purple, I guess? Whatever. Turn it on, crank it up.