Mummy Dust Trippers is a duo composed of Idaho Joe Winslow and Grant Corum, the latter of whom is also known as The Orchardist and released the wonderful Mercurian Vineyard Surgeries (which I reviewed here). Perfect Prey, one of two simultaneously released new records from the band, is a psychedelic journey through a sickly sweet haze. The deep green colors that pervade the album cover are a great representation of what the music sounds like; every sound that Winslow and Corum produce is drenched in a distinctly organic fog, which billows up and coats each song with oppressive smog. But, surprisingly, Perfect Prey doesn’t feel claustrophobic. There is so much freedom in the way the two musicians conjure lazy melodies and droning, Residents-esque vocal harmonies, as everything bubbles in the half-formed songs that seem to melt by the time they end. “Try Not to Cry” is a subtle spot of light amidst the smoke, and its uneasy beauty is a peaceful respite before “Synesthesia,” the hulking song that brings the album to a close. Perfect Prey seems unfriendly at first, but it ends up being comfortable, even cozy, in its own strange way.
Buy the LP here.
Noise Not Music 