Naam in Bloomington, MN

There are very few bands in the known universe that you can say draw upon such varied influences as
the Stooges
,
Hawkwind
, and
Can
. But the Brooklyn, NY trio,
Naam
, certainly fits the aforementioned bill. On their self-titled 2009 debut, the group issues a vintage-sounding offering that manages to include elements of stoner rock, garage rock, and psychedelic star-gazing. Think of
Monster Magnet
's early work, and you're not far off from what these lads sounds like. Like all good stoners, you get an obligatory never-ending, mammoth track --
"Kingdom"
-- which in this case kicks off the album (and starts with nearly five minutes of swirling wind sound effects). Elsewhere, you'll find a track that sounds like
Mudhoney
's
Mark Arm
fronting the aforementioned
(
"Skyling Slip"
), while quite a few unmistakably
Sabbath
-y grooves appear throughout (especially in the middle of
"Icy Row"
). Unlike other stoner metal acts that appear content to play the same riff for minutes on end through a bong-smoke haze,
offers enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. ~ Greg Prato