The People’s Temple
Musical Garden
HoZac Records [2014]
Fire Note Says: The new album from The People’s Temple is a fertile Musical Garden.
Album Review: The People’s Temple has been one of my go to bands for whenever I want a 60’s garage rock fix. Hailing from Lansing, Michigan, these guys bring the psychedelic leanings of the Electric Prunes and fuse them to the kick ass rock power of The Seeds and somehow give it a modern stamp that gives it the authenticity that many bands strive for but few actually achieve. On their latest album, Musical Garden, the band offers up perhaps their most satisfying batch of songs, more varied than its predecessors, and perhaps a touch more enjoyable because of it.
The People’s Temple has always brought the rock, but Musical Garden shows the band bringing the tunes as well. “Handsome Nick” is as catchy as anything they have ever done. It features a great vocal, and a driving beat that just doesn’t let up. It’s propulsivity is infectious. I dare you to NOT tap your foot to this one. “I Heard You Singing” is the type of early 60’s nugget that Barry and The Remains would have released, it’s slower, more earnest in the vocal delivery, but with all of the reverb and distortion it still hits you in the gut like a sack of Idaho potatoes. “Good Times, Bad Luck” is another throwback to the mid-sixties. Where many garage bands focus on the late 60s and early 70s, The People’s Temple are hitting the sweet spot, right before The Beatles left the concert stage for good. 1965 was a fertile year for Rock and Roll, and ripe for the taking. Bands had tunes and attitude, and on Musical Garden, The People’s Temple has shown that they learned that lesson well.
If you like your garage rock with just a touch of psychedelia and heavy on the tunes, then Musical Garden is definitely the album for you. It always seems to hit the spot for me, it’s not anything earth shattering, they definitely aren’t remaking the wheel, but it sure is nice and sounds good to these ears, and you know what does the wheel really need remade?. I like this one a little bit better than More for the Masses, but it’s pretty close. This is yet another good album, from a really good band.
Key Tracks: “Good Times, Bad Luck” / “Handsome Nick”/ “I Heard You Singing”
Artists With Similar Fire: Barry and the Remains / The Seeds / The Electric Prunes
The People’s Temple Facebook
HoZac Records
– Reviewed by Kevin Poindexter
Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, I am extremely proud of the area I grew up in and the influence it has had on the world at large, from the Wright Brothers to Robert Pollard, the area has been a center of innovation both technologically and artistically. During my college years at the University of Dayton, I found myself becoming more and more immersed in the local music scene, a period of time in the early to mid 90's that coincided with the rise of bands like Guided by Voices, Brainiac, and The Breeders, who added to the rich musical legacy of the area. Dayton is also the hometown of many giants of funk in the 70's and is also the birthplace of Jazz greats Billy Strayhorn, John Scofield and Bud Shank. I wrote extensively for The Fire Note, a great online magazine focused on indie rock, in the 2010's while simultaneously being a partner in Rockathon Records, before retiring from both in 2018. In 2024, my thoughts turned back to helping at Rockathon and more importantly to pick back up on my writing, and more specifically to write about my love of jazz. I'm always listening, always searching for something new, something great. It's been a lifelong journey, and I still feel like there is so much out there to hear.
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
