Now going by the moniker Rick White Album, the former Eric’s Trip/Elevator frontman’s latest, 137, is
another collection of psych-folk-rock that will astound in so many
ways. Since Elevator disbanded, White’s acoustic-guitar playing has
become more technically virtuosic, with songs like “Eerieacquaintance”
and “Back Home” being perfect examples of how he can play complex
fingering so deftly. White’s previous two releases, Album and
Mamoreaper, focused more on acoustic showcasing than 137,
which tends to dip back into flat-out psychedelic sound-structures
(like the latter day Elevator-ish “Perception”), built around
base-string riffs and synthesizer motifs. But as a next step in the
constant evolution of his artistry, 137 is a masterwork—almost
the perfect synthesis of Rick’s growing mastery of the acoustic guitar
and his singularly distinctive heavy, psychedelic side.
This article appears in Oct 1-7, 2009.