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Oakland post-punkers Clipd Beaks go pre-punk on their second full-length, creating a death-hippie vibe with meandering songs that hover around the five-minute mark like a smoky veil over barren landscapes.
To Realize is a potent murmur of psychedelic drone that makes up for its lack of melody with an abundance of intoxicating buzz. The music’s grainy texture almost crackles, like a warped vinyl record, and song boundaries blur into a continuous musical suite. “Desert Highway Music” has a three-minute intro before the singer’s weak voice breaks through the eclectic clatter; is he a shaman conjuring altered states, or a sham-man mimicking the current call of the weird? Only time will tell. Until then, listen to the pretty colors.
