from Issue #55 (Fall/Winter 08)

Husky - The Sea King
2008 (CD, 51:31)
Style : Instrumental Post Progressive Blues

     Husky is an instrumental trio from Charlotte, NC that adheres to a muscular brand of stoner rock incorporating garage, grunge, blues and post-rock influences into atmospheric soundscapes that challenge conventional song structures.
     Inspired by the story of the largest vessel ever built in Bowdoinham, Maine, The Sea King is evocative of a creaky, old workhorse of a ship, proudly pushing against the ocean currents. The music has an expansive quality, marshaling swirling psychedelic jams with heavy doses of melodic fuzz: It's Mudhoney gone prog.
     Phil Strickland's echoing guitar at times sounds like a bad hangover, while bassist Mark Hadden and drummer Nate Wilkinson hypnotically pound away at the subconscious. These compositions seem to flow into each other, creating a tidal wave of emotion that crests in the heavy blues once favored by bands like Blue Cheer or the MC5.
     Prog purists may find Husky's 10-minute epics lacking in complexity, but listeners who enjoy atmospheric, blues-soaked improvs are sure to find plenty here to groove with. -- Mark Newman

Sound: 3 stars out of 4
Composition: 3 stars out of 4
Musicianship: 3 stars out of 4
Performance: 3 stars out of 4
Total: 12 stars out of 16