Painted Shield are notable for featuring Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam/Mother Love Bone/Green River) on guitar and a bunch of friends. Painted Shield’s origins can be traced to 2014 when it was suggested by Daniel Field a mutual friend of Mason Jennings and Gossard that the two work together. They put out a 7” single “Knife Fight”/Caught in a Mess” and then…nothing, until the pandemic hit in 2020.
Since then the band have been prolific with 2020’s debut Painted Shield, 2022’s Painted Shield 2, and now Painted Shield 3. The record is being released on Stone’s own recently resurrected label Loosegroove Records who have put out works by Malfunkshun, Weapon of Choice, Nash Kato (Urge Overkill), Brad, and a compilation titled 1982 by The Living, Duff McKagan’s pre-Guns ‘N’ Roses Punk band.
“Lower Divine” starts the album in a nervous-sounding Devo and a Talking Heads fashion and is laced with energy. There’s moments that recall Masters of Reality and early Queens of the Stone Age which help give the track an expansive Desert-Rock vibe too. An exceptionally strong start. “The Pleasure” is Rock ‘n’ Roll orientated with a cool groovy vibe and a 70’s Glam tinge recalling David Bowie and T-Rex as well as the aforementioned Mother Love Bone and their flamboyant late frontman Andrew Wood. “Transector” meanwhile sees the band returning to New Wave, albeit post Dead Man’s Party Oingo Boingo when they went a bit more “Rock.” Another certifiable winner.
“Clear Blue Sky” a hippy-style Folk/Country ballad, allows the listener a bit of breathing space and is actually handled with tremendous deftness and skill which prevents it from being too mawkish and sentimental. “She Runs” is a quirky Funk infused number reminiscent of Beck along with oddball duo Ween, possibly traces of latter period Flaming Lips too, though thankfully less annoying. The album’s halfway point is marked by “Window”, a whimsical yet rather lovely piece of early Psychedelic Pop ala Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd while “Run ’em All Down” ups the tempo with urgent Drumming and Hawkwind and farflung space-rock flavours affording for a trippy yet strangely enjoyable journey into the unknown. “Testify” by contrast showcases a no-holds barred experimental approach with a Funky Electro backdrop and vocoder infused Vocals that remind you of how awesome Stevie Wonder was before adult-contemporary rubbish like “I Just Called to Say I Love You”. “Damn What a Beautiful Man” features gorgeous strings and again Funk and RnB are utilized with heavy nods to Parliament – Funkadelic, a wonderfully mellow and soulful piece that’s guaranteed to put a big goofy grin on your face.
“The Getter” is Industrial Rock in the spirit of NIN but with vocals not too dissimilar to Pharrell Williams, demonstrable of two styles seemingly diametrically opposed yet in fact working together in perfect harmony. “Versions of Her” has powerfully vulnerable Lead Vocals from Brittney Davis ala Skin (Skunk Anansie) and Amy Winehouse, this heart-wrenching Jazzy piece inevitably touching your soul. “End in Mind” has a profound sense of finality but also an understated quality that contrasts with tracks like “Testify”. Musically it occupies a similar space to the great Alain Johannes and his sublime album Hum. A superb conclusion to the album.
There’s a dizzying number of styles on here and your brain is continually playing catch-up to work out what it is you’re listening to. However, this is also its strength and along with the superb musicianship and fantastic songwriting makes for an album you’d be a fool to miss out on.
Buy the album here:
https://linktr.ee/paintedshield
8 / 10
REZA MILLS