Máscaras: Album Review

[INSTRUMENTAL PSYCH] Of the 20 or so bands drummer Papi Fimbres makes time to play for these days, desert-psych group Máscaras is getting most of his attention right now, with good reason. The trio’s debut album distills its frenetic acid rock down to eight barely three-minute songs, a rare feat in the pantheon of instrumental rock. Sure, there’s enough phased guitar fuzz and tape echo to make the 13th Floor Elevators blush, but Máscaras manages to shirk psychedelia’s indulgent nature by serving up its lysergic concoction in small doses. It mostly works, as it turns out, because three minutes is plenty of time to enjoy the Hawkwind-on-surfboards chug of “Desert Masks” and the Farfisa-laden sludge of “Going Home.” No slow crescendos, no half-hour jams—this is prog rock on a tight schedule. Máscaras doesn’t always escape the monotony that drags down even the best instrumental rock music, as certain songs can’t find their way out of first gear. But if you prefer psychedelic music in potent, bite-sized pieces, Máscaras vs. Máscaras does the trick just fine. 

SEE IT: Máscaras plays Bunk Bar, 128 SE Water Ave., with Bearcubbin', on Saturday, June 13. 9:30 pm. $8. 21+. 

WWeek 2015