Winged Wheel
Big Hotel
(12XU Records)
Winged Wheel is a collective nominally based out of Detroit, but with members scattered around the rock ’n’ roll map with a collective CV that includes time in indie rock stalwarts Sonic Youth, Tyvek, Spray Paint, Powers, and Matchless. Following on from a Covid-era debut, recorded remotely, the quartet convened in Kingston to lay down this propulsive and atmospheric sophomore effort. The band’s lineup includes Steve Shelley (drums); Lonnie Slack (lap steel); the co-owner of local music venue Tubby’s, Cory Plump (bass); Whitney Johnson (synths, vocals); Matthew J. Rolin (guitar); and Fred Thomas (drums).
The sound of Big Hotel’s mostly instrumental tracks is enveloping and narcotic, relentless and gentle at the same time. The group’s insistent, repetitive drive is descended from classic krautrock rhythms, while their dropped-in synths, vocals, and feedback give the music a bit of Jamaican-dub spirit. The closing track, “From Here on Out, Nothing Changes,” is probably the most driving tune, with Johnson’s ghostly voice underlying an “Autobahn”-paced propulsion that gets more frenetic until it suddenly hits a wall. Contrastingly, the opener, “Demonstrably False,” starts from a standstill, with metallic guitar asserting itself before stepping back to allow the synths and vocals to knead and shape the sound into something that’s extremely psychedelic. It’s the type of music that gets under the skin with even passive listening. Fans of head music from Stereolab to Spacemen 3 should take note of this stunning release.
This article appears in October 2025.
