Elephant Stone
Elephant Stone
Release Date: Feb 12, 2013
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Pop, Neo-Psychedelia
Record label: The Orchard Records
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Album Review: Elephant Stone by Elephant Stone
Satisfactory, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 7/10
For modern rock fans the very name Elephant Stone connotes something specific: a beloved 1988 single from the Stone Roses. The new millennial, Canadian psych rock band Elephant Stone does indeed take elements from the Stone Roses, specifically how the Manchester group layered acoustic guitars and ringing Rickenbackers to create a psychedelic, '60s pastiche that never sounded tethered to the past, but on their eponymous 2013 sophomore set, there are several elements that give this modern-day trippy pop band their own identity. Foremost among them is a fondness for Indian music -- not a huge surprise considering how leader Rishi Dhir was an in-demand sitarist among the neo-psychedelic set prior to his formation of Elephant Stone (he played with Brian Jonestown Massacre and Soundtrack of Our Lives, among others) -- but it's hardly exotic window-dressing for standard-issue psychedelia.
Based on rating C-
Elephant Stone frontman Rishi Dhir has been a frequently outsourced sitar player amongst bands of upper-middle prominence for years. He recorded and toured with the likes of Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Horrors before launching his own project in 2009 for which he’s responsible for vocals, sitar, and bass. His band name is a reference to both the song by the Stone Roses and a literal stone that Dhir owns: a statue of the Hindu god of new beginnings, Ganesh.
Opinion: Excellent
Elephant Stone’s self-titled sophomore album has been three years in the making, and while the hindi-pop sound that the band is known for is still present, things have changed. Elephant Stone indulges in a more grown-up sound. It’s not darker or even edgier; it’s just more refined with a clearer message of who Elephant Stone is as a band.
Opinion: Very Good
After a four-year break, Canadian rock band Elephant Stone has returned with their second effort. The self-titled effort shies away from the Indian style of music from before and employs a rock-infused sound that incorporates a wide range of rock tendencies. Frontman Rishi Dhir and Co. has employed a direct approach and the ten songs on Elephant Stone deliver an exciting sophomore effort.
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