Despite supposedly being influenced heavily by hardcore and punk as a young lad (as were his bandmates in
Kyuss), as a solo artist
Brant Bjork has been all about the 1970s -- and more specifically, early
Santana and late
Jimi Hendrix (circa
First Rays of the New Rising Sun). And that is precisely the direction
Bjork follows on his 2005 double-disc set (another nod to the '70s, when double albums were king),
Saved by Magic. What you get is a smorgasbord of vintage
Bjork, including ditties built around his trademark slinky guitar parts ("'73" and "Inside of You"), jive rockers ("Gonna Make the Pony Trot"), bluesy detours ("Sweet Maria's Dreams"),
Hendrix-ish wah-wah guitar ("Dylan's Fantasy"), and strutting grooves ("Let the Truth Be Known"). While newcomers would probably be better introduced to the trippy work of
Brant Bjork via one of his earlier single discs (namely
Jalamanta), if you're looking for a whole lot of this drummer turned frontman,
Saved by Magic will surely satisfy your appetite.