The Quintessential by Tia Carrera

Austin Chronicle

Five mammoth jams on five different labels, not including singles and compilation tracks, culminate in spontaneous metallurgists Tia Carrera's The Quintessential for Detroit rock indie Small Stone Records. The barely harnessed monster-truck pull of the local trio's 2003 debut on Perverted Son, The November Session, a radioactive sandstorm (34-minute closer "J Bankston Manor"), ripened on the sweat-lodge doom of a vinyl-only follow-up for Emperor Jones before peaking on the deeply baked crop circles of 2006's eponymous Australian Cattle God bow. The Quintessential, then, most resembles 2007 Arclight Records EP Heaven/Hell, where two main movements split a half-hour. Here, needling sonic prologue "Home" and acoustic backwater "Hazy Winter" sandwich three main tracks, cauldron stewed by Jason Morales, Erik Conn, and Andrew Duplantis, bassist Curt Christenson subbing in for Son Volt's Duplantis on one track. The droning Persian accents of "The Unnamed Wholeness," sewn with Ezra Reyonlds' keyboards, loose Morales' serpent (Gibson) SG, which writhes to the primal summons of Conn's Bonham-esque toms. Kashmir, Tierra del Fuego, Saturn – feel the burn, layered lysergic phosphorous. At 22 minutes, it bottles one of Tia Carrera's quintessential jags. "Gypsies" mucks about at relative speed-metal length – six minutes – banding together Buddy Miles and Hendrix before disappearing into the quicksand of "New Orleans." Humid, bottomless, the 15-minute consumption can't match the sparks of "The Unnamed Wholeness," but its Southern sludge reeks pungently verdant. Quintessence: "The fifth and highest element in ancient and medieval philosophy that permeates all nature and is the substance composing the celestial bodies."

- RAOUL HERNANDEZ

Tracklist

1.	Home	3:48

2.	The Unnamed Wholeness	22:07

3.	Gypsies	6:12

4.	New Orleans	15:03

5.	Hazy Winter	3:17

Credits

released October 27, 2009

Erik Conn: Drums
Andrew Duplantis: Bass
Jason Morales: Guitar

Additional Players:
Ezra Reynolds: Keys On Track # 2
Curt Christenson: Bass On Track # 4
Jason Morales: Vocals on Track # 5

Engineered by Jason Morales. Recorded @ Goodtimes Home Studio - Austin, TX.
Mixing by Mark Deutrom & Jason Morales.
Mastered by Chris Goosman @ Baseline Audio - Ann Arbor, MI.
Cover design and photography by Andrea Donio.
Band photo by Aasim Syed.
Art direction by Erik Conn.

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