Painted Shield and the artful blues punk injections of "Lover Divine" (Official Video)

 

photo by Regan Hagar

There is something sinisterly fun, cross-generationally brilliant, drunkenly wonky and coyly badass about "Lover Divine" by Seattle based Painted Shield, "Uhhh!" I am feeling a glorious car crash of artists like The Gories, Question Mark and the Mysterians, Reigning Sound and thereabouts. You feel in your bones a distillation of garage punk injected with a massive syringe of blues and alt rock. You also feel a sideways temperament, a desire to tap into your ID to tap into multiple genres as long as the result is a new iteration. The aggressive nature feels real but possessed by wacky demons. I like this subversive thing happening whether it comes from whole cloth or is expertly crafted. I like surprises and sheer punchiness here suggests the unbridled purity of an artist who loves musical history, undertands the artifice of rock as well as the integrity of it (Iggy Pop just popped in my head). 

LINER NOTES (bracketed):

[Painted Shield combines the talents of Pearl Jam co-founder Stone Gossard, folksinger Mason Jennings, drummer extraordinaire Matt Chamberlain, soul innovator Brittany Davis, and renowned guitarist Jeff Fielder. Painted Shield was released on Gossard's newly reactivated Loosegroove label, which had famously released the debut Queens of the Stone Age album back in 1998.]

[Speaking on the new song, the band’s Mason Jennings said ““Lover Divine” started as a Stone Gossard guitar riff that producer Josh Evans put through a series of effects. I loved the vibe and was reminded of some conversations Stone and I had had about our love of Egyptology and also our love of the band The Stooges. So I kinda put these two ideas together. The vocal part in the intro was from the bass guitar line I wrote in the chorus. I decided to sing with the bass because I loved how it sounded when Paul McCartney would do that with The Beatles. Then Josh Evans took the bass out and left my vocal bass. Jeff added his bass after that. Brit came up with some killer chords to go with it and Matt brought the punk energy with the drums. The rest is ancient history.”]

Listening to "Lover Divine" makes me want to see it in some Netflix or Hulu binger. It has such deep musical chops, the drums are sick, as are the guitar shapes, the rumbling bass, that vintage organ and the scenery chewing vocal performance that also sounds innately pure. A wonderful surprise. 

"Lover Divine" is from the band's latest EP "Window".

-Robb Donker Curtius

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kmm4Wi3pbsCHHIYqgYgX9

https://x.com/paintedshield

https://www.youtube.com/paintedshield

https://www.instagram.com/paintedshield

https://www.facebook.com/PaintedShield


Painted Shield combines the talents of Pearl Jam co-founder Stone Gossard, folksinger Mason Jennings, drummer extraordinaire Matt Chamberlain, soul innovator Brittany Davis, and renowned guitarist Jeff Fielder. Painted Shield was released on Gossard's newly reactivated Loosegroove label, which had famously released the debut Queens of the Stone Age album back in 1998.

Painted Shield, alt rock, blues rock, garage rock, blues punk, indie rock, Seattle, "Lover Divine" (Official Video), Pearl Jam co-founder Stone Gossard, soul innovator Brittany Davis, Jeff Fielder,