Great Western Plain
Mustache Eye Patch
self-released

Great Western Plain is a band with a lot to say about themselves, sonically. Listening to their first full-length album Mustache Eye Patch, you get the impression they don’t want to be pegged down into one category, even within the confines of one song. Their scope includes garage rock riffing, alt-folk musing, post-punk pastiche and feedback freakouts. Lots of feedback freakouts.

Most of the trio hails from Orono. Guitarists Tim Berrigan and Michael Powers are formerly of the Orono alt-country group Hampden Mountain Boys, and Anthony Bitetti was the dynamo force behind Good Kids Sprouting Horns, which included Berrigan and Powers on its final release last November.

Bitetti played guitar in the Good Kids, but with this band he’s on drums. Berrigan and Powers switch off between guitar and bass, and one of them is the primary vocalist, though it’s not clear which one and it doesn’t really mater. The album was recorded “in the same appearance challenged living room as their debut EP ‘Noise’ in the final days of residency at that second floor Main St. apartment in Orono, ME,” according to their Bandcamp page. It was mastered by Ron Harrity at his studio in South Portland, but Harrity left the raw, dirty sound intact.

Songs like “Intricate Textures” and “Three Four” progress through the band’s musical styles in rapid succession. The result is remarkably cohesive, given the amount of territory covered. The vocals sound remarkably like those of Jeff Badger (see The Hot Dogs, Transmission Drop, Custard Paws & Mr. Freezy). The nasally, literary angle has been played, and the vocal hooks here are nothing special, but that’s not why the band is really worth a listen. It’s the music that keep you coming back.

“Photosynthesis” is actually danceable, with great guitar riffs and impeccable drumming. Then, right around the two-minute mark, when a lesser band would repeat what had been working, the song shifts into a dynamic dirge section before finishing with a quick run through the main riff and chorus. “A. Guthrie Tune” also stands out for its riffs, but Arlo would never dare attempt the kind of J Mascisian feedback solo this tune has at the end, so the reference escapes me.

If you’re looking for sunny summertime music, look elsewhere. Grab this one when the rains arrive.

— Anders Nielsen

You can hear and download the full album at greatwesternplain.bandcamp.com.