STUMPS, THE - The Black Wood

The Stumps are a New Zealand based noise-rock trio made up of members Antony Milton (Pseudoarcana, The Nether Dawn, Mrtyu, etc), James Kirk (Sandoz Lab Technicians, Black Boned Angel, Gate, etc), and Stephen Clover (Palindrone, seht). Formed in Wellington in 2003, the group is known for its noisy guitar soundscapes and improvisational take on psychedelic rock music. Most often, Clover plays bass, Milton sings and plays electric guitar, and Kirk plays drums, though the group are known to expand their instrumental palette using synthesizers, field recordings, electronics, and guest musicians. With a laundry list of individual accomplishments preceding them, The Stumps bring high expectations. They've been compared to such seminal acts as The Dead C, Guru Guru, Acid Mothers Temple, Fushitusha, Les Rallizes Denudes, Sun Ra and the Velvet Underground, but these Kiwis have their own twist in their psychedelic cosmic explorations. They are robust and powerful; an exciting and often overwhelming listening experience. It'll burn out your eardrums and douse the flames in hot wax. But fear not, within these methodic blasts are moments of icy calm. Underneath all this chaos is a relaxed thread, keeping some semblance of order intact. - Last Visible Dog.