The set’s biggest surprise is its final cut, “Evil People, Pt. 1.” Though under six minutes it feels like a jam track with serpentine organ, throbbing bass, and martial tom-toms overlaid with distorted guitars in a three-chord vamp that creates a hypnotic, head-wagging pulse as Mariani sings with malevolence at the heart of the mix. His six-string duels with Patient‘s Hammond B-3 for dominance as the music melts together in a punishing swirl that brings West Coast Highway Cosmic to an overloaded boil of blasted psych blues. This aptly titled set is perfect for driving fast on long, lonely stretches of highway with the windows down and the wide-open night for company. – Thom Jurek / ALL MUSIC HERE
