Leaf Hound – Growers Of Mushroom (1971)

May 7, 2023

I love this album and return to it quite frequently. It isn’t something I would ever have found on my own; I have their annoucement for Roadburn festival about 11/12 years ago to thank for forcing me to check out their records. But, I’m glad to be here.

At first, when the opening riff of “Freelance Fiend” comes forth from the speakers, it sounds kinda weird and hollow, and you may be forgiven for thinking that the production on this thing is about to be absolutely horrible, but you would thankfully be incorrect. The treble is a little high for sure, but otherwise, Leaf Hounds psych-heavy rock is held in the perfect balance of clarity and distortion. Hey, for a rock record with distorted guitars from 1971, I’ll mark this one as a successful production job! Top effort.

Song-wise, the opening track is probably my favourite, but to be honest, I like them all, including the title track which has a bit of a silly chorus. The 8-minute “Work My Body” starts to outstay its welcome, but only just. Otherwise, what you’ve got here is some decent rock and/or roll with psych elements, and a really enjoyable record to get your teeth into.