AMG Review of Vista Point

François Couture
All Music Guide

Vista Point culls Yawning Man's full-length release Rock Formations and EP Pot Head (both originally from 2005) on a single 67-minute disc. It makes for a record that packs quite a punch. "Desert Rock" is the name of Yawning Man's game: twangy surf guitar courtesy of Gary Arce (of Ten East and Fatso Jetson fame), stoner rock drumming courtesy of Alfredo Hernandez (of Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age fame), and a Krautrock-inspired, pummeling, we-ain't-ever-gonna-stop-this-groove attitude. There is also a subtle psychedelic element in the background textural guitars layered fuzz-over-fuzz. Bass duties are fulfilled by Mario Lalli on what was Rock Formations (tracks one-ten) and Billy Cordell elsewhere, but both simply play an anchoring role. The stars of the show are definitely Arce's languid guitar lines and Hernandez's leaded beats. The music may be psychedelic and (very) cinematic, it still remains sharply focused and to the point. Highlights include "Perpetual Oyster" (one of the most spaghetti western-sounding tracks), "Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway" ("Autobahn," anyone?), and "Buffalo Chips," which might as well be Neu! gone "Interstellar Overdrive" with the ghost of Duane Eddy. Slow, lyrical, and repetitive, "Manolete" even adds a touch of post-rockish melancholy to the set. And the booklet offers a handful of stunning desert photographs on quality glossy paper, justifying a physical-not-download recommendation. Fans of '60s garage and surf music would do good to inquire. As for stoner rockers, this one is already a classic.