If you followed Rival Sons during their infancy, you would have immediately picked up on guitarist Scott Holiday’s palette of quirky, psychedelia-flavored, fuzz-laden tones. This became his trademark, his calling card, an essential ingredient of his band’s modern rock arsenal. With eight Rival Sons albums and singer Jay Buchanan off taking his own journey on the Americana highway, there couldn’t be a better time for Holiday to make a record of his own. Under the collective HOL1D4Y, Topology takes no hostages as it morphs into a hallucinogenic mind-warp in sound and dimension at every reasonable turn, from every unthinkable perspective. It’s enough to make Syd Barrett, if he were still with us, blush and think twice about painting the floorboards.
Nine songs, eight with one-word titles, designed to reflect Holiday’s own subtle, abstract intricacies on a Technicolor scale while affording the listener the luxury of an entirely different interpretation. “Holotropic” is the full assault with Holiday, instrumentally and vocally, angling around Jesse Nason’s keys and Aaron Danks’ rhythm guitar in a sort of jangly tumble of notes that cross nostalgia into a futuristic fold of unbounded energy. We divebomb into “Panoptic,” springing to life after Rival Sons drummer Michael Miley tosses around an auspicious beat to and fro. Fully soaked in an immersive all-in testimonial, this is where the album asserts its valor going forward.
“Veridream,” drenched in a myriad of swirling keys and oscillators, swims in counter melody and daydreams with minimal fuzztones, but “Automatic” comes lock and loaded, the guitarist’s incalculable handiwork and cool, unassuming vocal at the ready without reservation. The instrumental “Constellations” blooms with unfounded frolic, funk, feedback and random exotica to catch everyone off-guard. Forget Syd Barrett, this one would likely send the other members of Pink Floyd back to the psychoactive playbook.
As the album’s longest track (and second instrumental), “CRISM” presumably begins as an impromptu jam that develops into a slow-paced, stylish exploration of give and take, cast very much in the spirit of classic space rock that defined the aforementioned Floyd, a pinch of Steve Hillage and Gong with a slice of Camel and Hawkwind to balance the nutrients. It’s impossible to turn away. The sonic parameters of contemporaries like Steven Wilson are truly being challenged. Out of the mind and home studio of one of rock’s most unflappable voices.
“Equanimity” is an eye-opening slap in the face after an 11-minute ride through the wilderness. It may take a while for that one to find its place. We close out with “Love of Separation,” the lone three-worded number and only acoustic instrumental. It’s a mild and regal send-off to complete the picture of Scott Holiday’s vivid and wild imagination, clearly put on full display.
Topology does take some getting used to. You have to chase it around for a while. After a few spins, with a glimpse into Holiday’s self-made videos, photos, artwork and instruments — it all clicks and eventually pulls you in. Always the sign of a strong record.
While Rival Sons carry on as one of the premier bands of the 21st century with constant touring in America and Europe, it’s nice to see both Holiday (with help from Miley) and Buchanan flexing their creative muscles outside the confines of the group. As it were, HOL1D4Y seems like an outlet to be revisited here and there, when pressure and time, to borrow a familiar album title, allows. We’ll all stay tuned.
~ Shawn Perry
