Spiny Normen — Spiny Normen 1978-1979 (USA, Heavy Psychedelic,Progressive,Space Rock)
Spiny Normen were an American progressive/psychedelic rock band from Houston, Texas, active in the mid-1970s. The band never officially released their album, but it was released posthumously in 2018. Their album is characterized by a dark, mysterious, and "acid-drenched" sound, with instruments such as Mellotron, heavy guitars, and flute with sound effects. Fronted by then 19 year old Steve Brudinak, Spiny Normen recorded their only album at a community college in 1978, originally to be part a part of a “Brown Acid” compilation series. Spiny Normen was left unreleased until one single was discovered, and it was thus decided that the rest of the project would be released as well. What Spiny Nomen did with Spiny Normen samples a different direction rock music could have gone in, and presents what Brudinak believes was “both ahead of and behind the times”.
The band’s self-titled eight track record, Spiny Normen, is rugged, densely atmospheric, and drenched in an aptly named “brown acid” feel. Our favorite track on the record, “The Bell Park Loon” was the initial single that would lead to the rest of this projects unearthing. The song is an immediately explosive dance adventure, propelled by amazing flutes and guitar riffs. A little reminiscent of The Doors, the music feels contained but still quite far out. The opening track, “Arrowhead”, has a riff to start the track that sounds like “Paint It Black”, but melting, and accompanied by muddy far out vocals, clashing drums, and wild keys to create a distorted wall of sound.
There are plenty of off the wall moments on Spiny Normen, and possibly the grandest take from the band would be the closer, “The Sound of Younger Times”, an eight minute track that trides along with trippy flutes, high pitched keys, and ghoulish vocals. The song “Wrecko Wild Man Ride” is similarly a psychedelic buffet with shining keys and drowning vocals, under stomping riffs and mad organs, plus, an ambient, scattered, and spooky atmosphere filled with dark bells and plucky guitars. Continuing a wild, almost haunted trip of a theme, “To Meet The Mad Hatter”, is a curious track with reverb vocals and an even more layered, haunting soundscape. The track “Carry Your Water” has more defined prog riffs, with familiar psych vocals, and a fun “woo woo” refrain to end the song.
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