Lizard Brain Trust
I Never Sleep
Lizard Brain Trust (LBT) is a true indie band from the heartland of America (Lawrence, KS) that mixes rock with synths, surf punk with psychedelia, and lyrical fatalism with honesty and humor. They are reminiscent of the college bands your parents talked about - the good ones who don’t give a fuck about what the world or industry thinks they should write about or sound like. As a result, you get a true band. A real band. An honest artistic project that is bound to no-one.
The David Christ Memorial Indoctrination Fund for the Cure is an impressive 10 song LP that this quartet took several years to put together. The band is self-produced, and also run their own indie label (Dumb Ghost Recording Enterprises) We’ve reviewed one of the other songs on this record (click here) . Here’s our review of track three, “I Never Sleep".”
No idea what animal sounds they used at the beginning but it sure as hell got our attention. Drums and electric guitars kick the song off with a riff and pattern that change slightly with each phrase before the whole band comes in and settles into the full groove. When they do, it’s massive and all comes together in a very tight puzzle. We’re in E, right around 139 BPM. Love how the melody swirls around the three, while the bands’ riff stays between the six and the root - the tension created by hitting that six is great and the whole package in the first verse is really tight. Love it!
That leads us into the chorus that features a gorgeous walking bass line in the first section (maybe this is a pre-chorus), great synth tones in the background, driving guitars that split your speakers left and right and their trademark, solid drumming. Vocally, Seth delivers everything very straightforward, very matter of fact, and it’s perfect for the genre. There’s none of the screaming or shouting that you would expect in a song with these types of tones or riffs, it doesn’t need it. If you think it does, you need to listen to Frank Black, and Hüsker Dü. The back half of the chorus opens up the riffs and grooves with a nice progression that leads us perfectly into the next section.
Second verse has added intensity with the addition of a driving crash, atmospheric synth tones and what sounds like a doubled vocal. At this point they are going full tilt, displaying that energy and honesty that translates into great energy. The mix is massive but the tones are clear, this is not easy to accomplish. They continue to build the composition in the second chorus with wider synth tones that are synonymous with ELO and the Alan Parson Project - love all the background effects. The change in the drum pattern that happens in the first part of the chorus is exceptional, creates great space - very tribal and a good break from all the cymbal work. The ending descends into chaos and that’s just fine with us - we love all the tones they’ve used in this track and would love to see a mic and instrument list.
There’s a lot to love about bands like this that live by their own rules, and write for their own health and sanity. We all know that music is therapeutic to the listener, but the listener needs to know that it’s therapeutic to the writer as well - that’s why they do it. If you read up on this band you’ll see what’s behind their songs and why they started - I won’t spoil it for you here, I’ve given enough hints. This entire LP speaks exactly to that point. The lyrics are mystical and fatalistic, but also funny and relatable. LBT has tapped into a unique sound and we hope it carries them to stages and experiences far beyond the borders of Kansas. Great work, guys!