Mike Johson has finished his fourth record, which was recorded in Seattle by Phil Ek. Joining him in thie endeavor are Jason Albertini (Duster) and Jim (The Delusions) who formed the rhythm section. Together they (along with Brett Netson of Caustic) have concocted an eerie, hypnotic, and smoldering collection of songs, all new Johnson originals save for one cover. The result can only be described as amasterpiece.
Some of you might remember all the way back to 1985 and Mike's days with Snakepit, a kick ass country punk band out of Eugene, OR. which gave birth to a wealth of great music and bands for members such as Billy Karin (Bikini Kill) Al Larsen (Some Velvet Sidewalk) Joe Preston (Earth, as well as the Melvins) and the late Robert Christie (Oswald 5-0) who died tragically January '01 in a car accident.
In the rock vein, Mike is well known as the bass player for Dinosaur Jr. whom he played with from 1991 through 1997. Mike has also been a long time collaborator with Mark Lanegan, and plays on all of Mark's solo albums beginning with "The Winding Sheet" which was released in 1990. He played guitar with the Queens of the Stone Age for a while, the highlight of which was a live show at The OK Hotel. At the same time, he has been a member of Caustic Resin for several years now, when it fits into both Mike's and Brett's schedule. Mike plays bass on the latest Caustic Resin release, entitled Keep on Truckin.
Smoky and expansive, subtle and reflective, What Would You Do is the luxuriantly depressing, big-sounding album Mike Johnson has been trying to make for a decade. This is sophisticated, slow-mo, and moody psychedelic folk-rock that takes great pains to sound effortless. Johnson rarely bothers to exert his deep, rich voice above a whisper, but that's all he need do. His seemingly whiskey-saturated voice rests between Mark Eitzel's croon and Nick Cave's moan, while going down more smoothly than either of them. This beautifully produced and arranged album is innovative in its own anachronistic way. "No Words" is a folk-dub instrumental that somehow works, while "Come Back Again" and "Names" force the listener to imagine a collaboration between sleepy troubadour Fred Neil and acid-rock pioneer Roky Erickson at the height of their powers. A lot of records get called "timeless," but few are; it's a safe bet that What Would You Do actually is. Hooray
1 - Arise
2 - Names
3 - Remember
4 - Come Back Again
5 - Requiem
6 - Things Won't Be...
7 - Hidden Away
8 - Deliver Me From My Enemies
9 - Only For Today
10 - The Introduction
11 - You're Still Around?
12 - Dirty Hands
13 - Over
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