‘Psychedelics’ to Rescue

A little more than a decade ago, the local rock scene exploded with a rush of angry punk chords and colorful sartorial outrage. Today, much of that scene has sunk into a glammy, hammy heavy-metal quagmire full of the same kind of low-IQ music and posturing that sent the first generation of punks into action.

An alternative to this sorry state was represented by a four-band bill Saturday at the Musicians Union Hall in Hollywood. Caterwaul, the Nymphs, Shiva Burlesque and Red Temple Spirits have been called the “new psychedelics,” with their tribal drumming, phased guitars, murky, droning textures and surreal, dark-night-of-the-soul lyrics. The problem is that much of the “new psychedelia” is old-hat--an echo of the Bunnymen, Joy Division, et al.

Shiva Burlesque is a melodramatic quartet given to Doors-like minidramas about shipwrecks, but all the bombastic crescendos couldn’t hide an affected vocalist and overworked themes. The Nymphs have a trump card in lead singer Inger Lorre, who comes on like an escapee from the Mad Hatter’s tea party and bellows street-life observations in a flat-toned, Patti Smith-like howl. But the initial excitement of the Nymphs’ surging, dirge-like sonic sludge eventually became a bludgeoning monotony. They need to widen their scope--as do most of the “new psychedelics.”