Jalamanta by Brant Bjork

"When Man’s Ruin Records was getting ready to put out 1999’s Jalamanta, the first solo album from former Kyuss and Fu Manchu drummer Brant Bjork, they said in the album bio that it was “Psychedelic, soulful, organic, sexy…” and that “Man’s Ruin considers this one of their most interesting releases to date,” citing the likes of War as inspiration. Throughout the years and many subsequent solo offerings since, funk has always remained an essential part of Brant Bjork‘s work, and that ultra-grooving, ultra-warm low end is part of what makes Jalamanta a perfect summertime record, as well as the quintessential desert rock release.

The other part is the laid back vibe that Bjork constructs out of that low end. From the very start of “Lazy Bones” and “Automatic Fantastic,” Jalamanta bleeds cool. It’s a record that’s had untold influence on the current heavy rock scene — especially in Europe; one can hear shades of jams like “‘Let’s Get Chinese Eyes'” or “Defender of the Oleander” across a wide swath of bands — and its psychedelic elements only added mystique to the sun-baked atmosphere. Not to discount anything Kyuss did, but Jalamanta sounds even more purely of the desert, and if the song “Low Desert Punk” is anything to go by, Bjork knew exactly what he was doing and the sound he was embodying when he made it.

And while Brant Bjork would go on to become the godfather of desert rock and Jalamanta would in large part define the course of his career as a solo songwriter — a career that seemed to be sidetracked following a label deal with Napalm Records last year by the emergence of Kyuss Lives!, whose fate remains uncertain pending litigation — the album’s appeal isn’t necessarily limited to its geography. Sure, it’s low desert punk, but for example, right now it’s so humid outside my office that if you moved your arms the right way you could do a breast stroke through the air, and Jalamanta proves a perfect fit for Jersey’s perma-haze as well." - The Obelisk

TRACKLISTING:
01. LAZY BONES
02. AUTOMATIC FANTASTIC
03. COBRA JAB
04. TOO MANY CHIEFS... NOT ENOUGH INDIANS
05. SUN BROTHERS
06. LET'S GET CHINESE EYES
07. TOOT
08. DEFENDER OF THE OLEANDER
09. LOW DESERT PUNK
10. WAITING FOR A COCONUT TO DROP
11. HER BROWN BLOOD
12. INDIO

Tracklist

1.	Lazy Bones	1:27

2.	Automatic Fantastic	6:55

3.	Cobra Jab	3:20

4.	Too Many Chiefs...Not Enough Indians	3:46

5.	Sun Brother	4:50

6.	Let's Get Chinese Eyes	4:51

7.	Toot	6:03

8.	Defender of The Oleander	7:59

9.	Low Desert Punk	5:21

10.	Waiting For A Coconut To Drop	4:16

11.	Her Brown Blood	4:11

12.	Indio	4:08

Credits

released September 23, 2016

License