35007
Especially For You

The Loose are one of those bands that have best been able to translate true intergalactic journeys of the mind into music. In the early '90s, these Dutch guys decided to create a remarkable stylistic blend, using music already well-established in rock, such as progressive and space (thus also psychedelia), along with a style born a few years before their debut, stoner rock. During their artistic arc, the amalgam they created doesn't particularly suffer from the weight of the aforementioned contributions as much as from their compositional maturation.

1994, the year of the LP that opens their career. The sound is still raw and sharp, but nonetheless determined in its intent, namely to drug the mind and launch it on a stellar journey. Once the disc is on, its approach might seem disappointing and misleading to the reader, but in reality, nothing is out of place.
It begins with Zandbak. What is it? It’s neither a planet nor a distant star. Nothing similar. It means sandpit in Dutch, and I can already see the analogy: the desert inaugurated a couple of years before by Kyuss will be the starting point for that infinite drift into the mysterious universe, where, trust me, the Loose have shown they can accompany. An opener with abrasive sounds, of clear heavy imprint, indicates the departure.
Along the way, the album evolves, thus showcasing their characteristic style, and a single word suffices to express the concept: psychedelia, the word in which both stoned-stoner and space fall simultaneously and dominate for the duration of the listen. Wild and undulating jams, as well as moments of trance and mental relaxation, are among what is found on the album (almost entirely instrumental). Unfortunately, the cohesion and consistency characteristic of their sound digressions are not yet present, but the form and substance of what awaits their future are already shown. Suave and Elephant Song represent, in my opinion, the climax of the work, so if you don’t feel like listening to the entire album, "treat yourself" to those.

Having started with their feet on the ground, they managed to evolve their sound into something extremely expanded and sense-amplifying. all it takes is the darkness decorated by a few distant lights and Liquid (their penultimate effort) to take the mental state where only drugs could lead. Their debut, still tied to more tangible sounds, is certainly representative and contains many elements to give a good idea of their modus operandi, but the best is undoubtedly chronologically further ahead.