With a slight yet colorful history (the band cannot legally drink yet) that includes an evangelical upbringing that was thwarted by a
Fab Four intervention, cassette- and vinyl-loving independent label
Burger Records, and Ray Bradbury's house (the latter was used to film the video for the album's dreamy title track), Farfisa, fuzz, and
Lizard King-loving Orange County psych-rockers
Feeding People skillfully balance their counterculture affectations with a vagabond Gen-X spirit that belies their millennial credentials. Like a Laurel Canyon-kissed amalgamation of
the 13th Floor Elevators,
Opal,
Esben & the Witch,
Crystal Antlers, and
Surfer Blood, Island Universe, the band's debut for the
Innovative Leisure label, forces noisy indie rock, stoner metal, trippy psychedelic pop, and freak folk to sit at the same lunch table, resulting in a spirited yet oh so slightly hesitant food fight that goes just far enough to earn a couple of detentions. Genuine youthful folly aside, there are some truly cosmic moments to be found here, most of which arrive via mega-church escapee/mini-siren
Jessie Jones, a 19-year-old force of nature who emits a sound like a radio dial hovering between
Fiona Apple,
Jefferson Airplane,
Lana Del Ray, and
the Doors. Between the feverish push/pull dynamics of opener "Silent Violent," which rolls in on a slow-motion rendering of the acoustic intro to
Jane's Addiction's "Ocean Size," the apocalyptic
Waiting for the Sun-inspired vistas of "Uranium Sea," and the expansive
Sword-meets-
Faun Fables mysticism of "Red Queen" and "The Cat Song (Secrets of Luna),"
Feeding People live up to their "White Rabbit"-inspired moniker, and while they may be a tad prone to Summer of Love histrionics, at least they're drawn to the era's dark side. ~ James Christopher Monger