Periodically, an exciting release slips past the entire Citizen Dick staff, resulting in much sheepishness and humility at our home office. Most recently, we missed the boat on November’s debut release from Lexington, Kentucky’s Thee American Revolution. This was a total ball-drop on our part. I mean, it isn’t like there is a shortage of hooks around which we could have framed our initial coverage. For example, we could have called attention to the veritable super-group nature of the band, which features Robert Schneider (frontman of The Apples in stereo and famed producer of both Neutral Milk Hotel albums),  Otto Helmuth (Blueberries), Bill Doss (Olivia Tremor Control), and John Ferguson (Big Fresh/The Apples in stereo) Alternatively, we could’ve emphasized the fact that Buddah Electrostorm is one of the first albums to bear the Elephant 6 logo since the renewal of the seminal Athens-based collective’s efforts since its disbanding in 2002. Or we could have led with the mysterious role played by an apparent British ex-pat named William Shears who bears a distinguished psychadelic pedigree and allegedly serves as the band’s mentor. (Click here for an interesting bit about this relationship and more on the band itself.) Hell, we could’ve even hung the narrative on the album artwork, which was done by fellow E6 member (and veteran of seminal indie acts like Olivia Tremor Control and Circulatory System) Will Cullen Hart.

Or, more importantly, we could’ve talked about the killer chugginess of the psyched-out trog-rock that fills Buddah Electrostorm.  Take today’s single club entry, for example. “Power House” pairs an awesome guitar and drum effort straight out of Deep Purple’s back catalog with melodic vocals that are something akin to both Joe Strummer and Anton Newcombe. There are incipient and slightly fucked guitar solos and female background vocal efforts of the kind you best appreciate a sixer in, all as the Schenider brings that antiquated psychadelic inquire right up to the present: Do you really want to know your mind?

Buddah Electrostorm, the long-awaited debut album from Thee American Revolution, dropped November 10th on Garden Gate Records. You can purchase it here.

Thee American Revolution – Power House