Burnt Ones / Mallard, The

***BURNT ONES picks up where it left off on the LPs Black Teeth & Golden Tongues and You’ll Never Walk Alone. Fuzzed out glam rock of the highest order on a release that fits the aesthetic of psych rock juggernauts Burger Records and Castleface Records. The vocals are more discernible and the instrumentals are tightened on this terrific sophomore effort. 1960s pop themes intertwine with fuzzed out psychedelic rock in an unabashed celebration of all things glam. On earlier releases, the vocals of lead-singer MARK TESTER often got lost in Burnt Ones all-encompassing wall of sound. Such is not the case here. The reverb-heavy vocals ride a propulsive crest of fuzzed out guitars. It’s a much bigger sound than any four-piece has a right to offer. THE MALLARD are an inside-out-echo-laser-garage-psych-rock four-piece from San Francisco. Their home fried songs harness the naked abandon of ‘60s punk (think earliest Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd), but inject the form with a deranged spirit all their own. Close attention to texture and dynamics allow the band to explore unusual terrain—to grant access into unexpected realms of beauty and terror... with dessert. Limited to 500 copies on two-color vinyl packaged in f-color cover jackets with debossed overprint and artwork by JAY HOWELL.