KIM SALMON & THE SURREALISTS – GRAND UNIFYING THEORY

The kind of rock that Kim Salmon peddles is not easy on the ear – devoid of melody, sometimes devoid of form, usually incredibly abrasive. But that’s not to say this latest record by the grizzled garage-master and his duo Phil Collings and Stu Thomas isn’t accessible. The energy is palpable – we are spared no warm-up time as they launch straight into the aggressive, poisoned mantra Turn Turn. The bleeding assault of QR1 is about as hectic as it gets, before we’re taken on a very different trip with two extended psychotropic jams Grand Unifying Theory I and II… the latter sprinkled with touches of surreal solina strings and punctuated by Salmon’s spasmodic explosions on the guitar. It’s like Jon Lord for the garage rock set. None of these tracks are welcoming – in fact what works so brilliantly is that the Surrealists seem to have accidentally grabbed the listener by the ankles and dragged them screaming across whatever off-road terrain is in their way. With this image in mind it’s no surprise when Salmon howls – “Where do you think you’re going? Don’t you know this is my trip, and YOU’RE on it!”

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