Live Frequencies by White Manna

Echoes and Dust-

White Manna have never quite worked on album. Both their self titled debut and last year’s Dune Worship had the requisite riffs and out there space moments but there was always something missing. It was as if the confines of the studio had cut off their power and neutered them giving the albums an unfulfilled feel.
The promise was always there though, and on Live Frequencies you get to hear the band that they really are. Shaking off the studio strictures, their music finally breathes and let’s out an almighty roar. It’s the equivalent of the genie being let out the bottle, that muted voice suddenly becomes booming.
It does also mean that some of the clean production is stripped off and the music becomes much more raw. It’s a fair swap though and for the majority of this album you are treated to the true sound of space rock. If you like your music loud then this is the album for you.
It’s hard to listen to this without drawing comparisons with Hawkwind’s Space Ritual. Indeed, if this album had been released back then it would quite rightly be regarded as a watershed moment in psych. For a genre which only truly comes alive in the concert venue it’s surprising how relatively few live albums there are.
So what do you get for your money? Well, ‘Evil’ positively blows all competition away, ‘Acid Head’ is suitably deranged and ‘I’m Coming Home’ will throttle you. It’s not really about the songs though and is about the continuous build up of energy as riff after riff builds up to create an ultimate wall of sound. The space noises rev up the tempo even more and at times you feel like your face is being stripped of its flesh as the music rushes by you at a 100mph. It’s one of the greatest thrills of your life.
Doubling up on some songs (taken from different shows) takes the sheen off the album a bit and you find yourself wishing for a few extra songs. On the whole though it’s a worthy release and one that should set the bar for further live psych releases. It’s a calling card to the psych movement that we are here, we are going to stay, and we are fucking loud. File with those other classic live albums purely for the sheer tenacity in unleashing the monster in White Manna. There next studio album better be special to match up to this beast.

Scorched Earth

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