Crawlspace, God-Zee (10" EP)

From what I've heard of Crawlspace, my favorite parts of their work sound far from rock music.  While they still use distorted guitars, propulsive drums, and blues riffs, their music has more emotional impact when it transforms these elements into an amorphous ooze for Eddie Flowers's vocals to ride.  1992's God-Zee 10" seems to predate their having refined this approach — while in places their create their dark magic, at other times the group sometimes still sounds like they're playing rock music, not just utilizing its elements.  While Flowers is the group's best-known member, God-Zee begins without his vocals — side A begins with an instrumental arrangement of Ornette and Prime Time's "Dancing in Your Head" before falling into original material.  Crawlspace handle the cover with the dignity that it deserves.  Flowers shines the rest of the way, especially when the music meshes with his odd vision.  The low point for me is the beginning of side B's "Move -> Up ^", where bassist Joe Dean's busy playing grows distracting.  The recording is simple and somewhat lo-fi, from a time before this style became a purposeful referent, and the odd cover gives no hint of the music inside.  Listening to God-Zee reminded me that I'm about 15 years behind on hearing Crawlspace's current work.