Mike Johnson
Gone Out of Your Mind
( up Records ) 2006

The name probably sounds familiar at least. Well, it ought to. Mike Johnson has been a part of some interesting collaborations with Mark Lanegan, a brief stay with Dinosaur Jr., as well as some time with Built to Spill's Boise compatriot Caustic Resin. All this information will only go on to serve you if you're not already familiar with Mike's extensive solo catalogue. On this outing, Johnson has gathered some very talented players from the various groups mentioned above and others. We have Brett Netson (Caustic Resin, Built to Spill), Jim Roth (Built to Spill, the Delusions) and Jason Albertini (Duster, Helvetia) who make up Mike Johnson's Evil Doers.

Stylistically, Johnson's music on Gone Out of Your Mind does very little to remind you of the groups his bandmates were garnered from. The music on this album is mostly a slow, muddy blues/rock dirge variety. The slow, moody pieces are well suited for Mike's talents. His voice is like a big, heavy blanket draping over a bed of tiny, gorgeous melodies. On "Being There", the lyrics become rather repetitive; I don't mean to say this in a negative light. What this does, actually, is lull the listener into a state of hypnosis. You can sit on the edge of your seat eagerly anticipating the next note or, you can simply lean back and let the sounds wash over you.

Gone Out of Your Mind represents lyrically and musically the balance between sobriety and madness in our minds. It's getting heavy, hold onto your psyche.

ss :: (July, 06)