Sons of Stone

iTunes Review

Named for the American cult that met a tragic suicidal end in Jonestown, Guyana, in the ‘70s, this quartet (with two pairs of brothers) from Lansing, Mich., churns out muscular psych-rock steeped in the history of groups like The Chocolate Watchband, The 13th Floor Elevators, and Love. The sound is gritty and echoey, as if recorded in a cavernous, dusty garage studio for less money than the beer budget. While not exactly as doom-filled as the group’s name might imply, Sons of Stone is a decidedly dark psychedelic brew, with occasional detouring into sweaty garage punk (“Pretender”), sinister occult-ishness (“Keeper (of Souls)”), Detroit R&B gone bad (“Miles Away”), and Brian Jonestown Massacre–flavored narco-haze (“Sons of Stone,” “Stick Around”). Anyone who’s ever discovered a great, unheralded ‘60s band on a scratched-up 7” during a bin dive will love Sons of Stone, especially the jittery tambourines and twangy, reverbed guitar on tracks like “Led as One,” “Visions of the Sun,” and the especially feral “Starstreamer.”