25 Tab

iTunes Review

Clocking in at more than half an hour, "Tab . . . 25" is the ultimate Monster Magnet track. It’s the purest expression of the group’s psychedelic space rock, with a hypnotic rhythm that stops time. It’s perfect for a black-light party. By song's end, it sounds like the apocalypse has occurred—a powerful head experience, though very much a side trip for the group. The guitars freak out while Dave Wyndorf sings under the mix and speaks in what sounds like tongues. "Longhair" is relatively short at only 12 and a half minutes. Alongside the band's garage rock–to–Hawkwind origins, it highlights the band's fierce drummer, Jon Kleiman, as well as guitarist John McBain's interest in the wah-wah pedal. "Lord 13" is a conventional four-minute tune that still features all the hallmarks of the MM sound. Though considered an EP due to its low number of tracks, Tab . . . is nearly an hour with the addition of the bonus live-bootleg-quality version of "Spine of God," the title track from MM’s debut album.