Wicked Branches

Lab Partners | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 19, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Future Farmer
• ASIN: B0009Y270I
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #492,277 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Blood Moon

2. Now

3. It's How You Feel

4. Love Don't Care

5. Tidal Wave

6. Ride

7. Wicked Branches

8. Snow Covered Leaves

9. This Life

10. Burning Fields

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Second album from the space/drone rockers, September 2, 2006

By 

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wicked Branches (Audio CD)

Lab Partners is a Dayton-based self-described "space/drone" rock band, led by the husband and wife team of singer-guitarist Mike Smith and keyboardist Amy Smith. After an early self-released EP came a nice debut album in 2002 called "DayStar". In 2005 the band released its second album.

"Wicked Branches" (12 tracks, 59 min.) brings 10 'real' tracks (as listed above in the Amazon listing), plus 2 short (untitled) instrumentals, hence the 12 total tracks. While the band may describe itself as space/drone, you shouldn't think that they sound anything like, say, Hawkwind (the original space rock band). Think more along the lines of Film School, or The Cooper Temple Clause. But really, Lab Partners have their own sound. Outstanding tracks on this album are "Love Don't Care", with a great guitar riff at the chorus, "Tidal Wave", the pensive "Snow Covered Leaves" and "This Life". At an hour, the album is a bit overlong, and with a bit more careful editing of the pace, the album might even have soared higher. But in the end, this is a very nice album, and I continue to play it quite regularly.

Lab Partners play regularly in the Cincinnati-Dayton area, and live they are even more impressive than on album. Bringing a veritable wall-of-sound, I am very impressed with their stage act, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why these guys haven't broken out more prominently yet. A new album is in the works for 2007. Can't wait for that.