Black Moon Spell

iTunes Editors’ Notes

King Tuff (Kyle Thomas) has exhibited an unabashed affection for Marc Bolan and T. Rex in the past, as well as a fondness for vintage-tinged pop and garage rock in general. On his third album, Black Moon Spell, Mr. Tuff continues celebrating the last half-century of great sounds, with nods to The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Beat, and other “B” bands like Blue Cheer and The Bay City Rollers. As improbable as that may seem, just a quick taste of the sludge-riff heavy title track, the power pop treats “Sick Mind” and “Beautiful Thing,” the stomping, handclap–driven “Eddie’s Song,” or the Sgt. Pepper–conjuring “Eyes of the Muse” will convince you of King Tuff’s skill at filtering the rock of the ages. Excursions into psych rock ("Staircase of Diamonds”), art skronk (“Radiation”), and barreling, high-speed punk excellence (“Demon from Hell”) are deeply satisfying. Drummer Old Gary and bass player Magic Jake join Thomas in the studio for the first time, and his pal Ty Segall pounded drums on the gnarly “Black Moon Spell.”