top of page
Search

Fuzzmania - A quick look at 5 of my favourite fuzz/stoner rock riffs.

  • Writer: Fraser Macintosh
    Fraser Macintosh
  • Nov 10, 2019
  • 3 min read



Fuzz is an audio effect that is achieved by distorting and compressing an audio signal to the point that the edges of the signal's waveform are actually chopped off, creating a 'square-wave' in its place in a process known as square-wave clipping.


Here is a visual representation of how fuzz causes square-wave clipping:


What this does from a musical point of view is create a loose, thick, saturated distortion tone which is unpredictable by nature and sounds absolutely ferocious when used in the right setting. It has come to define the sounds of genres such as grunge and stoner rock and here are 5 of my personal favourite riffs/songs which make use of this effect.


1. "Whitewater" by Kyuss (from the 1994 album Welcome to Sky Valley).



Ok technically there are 3 separate riffs in this clip but the way that California stoner rockers Kyuss are able to seamlessly transition from section to section is so smooth in my opinion, that it would be a disservice to play just one riff in isolation. Guitarist Josh Homme's use of bass cabs to create thunderous tones as well as the wash of cymbal ambience provided by drummer Brant Bjork creates a highly atmospheric space for the whole band to jam within. Combine this with John Garcia's reverberant vocals and Scott Reeder's wonderfully weird bass playing and you've truly got yourself a stoner rock masterpiece in "Whitewater".



2. "Some You Win, Some You Lose" by Orange Goblin (from the 2004 album Thieving from the House of God).



I just love the aggressive simplicity of this one. It is raw, genuine, driving riffage at its absolute best and hits like a ten tonne barrel of bricks to the face. Orange Goblin are masters of combining the heaviness of classic metal and the raw edge of punk rock with the tasty, low end, psychedelic groove of stoner rock and "Some You Win, Some You Lose" is only one example of their songs which features this vibe.



3. "YFS (Youth For Sale)" by Stoned Jesus (from the 2015 album The Harvest).



Ukrainian trio Stoned Jesus are a bit of an odd bunch; not really conforming to any one genre over the next. Their music could probably be described as a mix of stoner metal, progressive rock, garage rock and doom metal with elements of psychedelic rock and grunge added for good measure. They're able to pull off each of these sounds quite convincingly and as such can pick and choose which works best for different musical scenarios, creating an extremely unique and diverse overall style in my opinion. "YFS" in particular features a fairly aggressive and almost anarchic lyrical theme and this is bolstered by guitarist/vocalist Ihor Sydorenko's use of light, snarly fuzz tones to add that extra bit of edge and bite to the song's musical content.



4. "Mongoose" by Fu Manchu (from the 1999 album Godzilla's/Eatin' Dust and re-recorded for the 2001 album California Crossing).





Not much to say about this belter from Palm Desert rockers Fu Manchu, other than the fact that it was probably the song that ignited my passion for stoner rock, and looking back its easy to see why. It is the epitome of pure, full on, no faffing about and dry as heck fuzz rock; I'm fairly sure if you close your eyes while listening to "Mongoose" then you'll wake up right slap bang in the middle of Death Valley. Nuff said.



5. "Swords of Fire" by Orange Goblin (from the 2018 album The Wolf Bites Back).





This other number from Orange Goblin is very nearly through-composed (no recurring sections) and is filled with kick-ass riffs. However, I chose this 5/4 riff in particular because I love the contrast between the two distinct parts of it. The first is quite frantic and fast-paced which is juxtaposed beautifully by the 2nd, more open, grooving and heavy part. Furthermore, the fact than the two rhythmically contrasting parts share more or less the same notes and note placements but an octave apart really helps the riff as a whole feel connected while also being at odds with itself at the same time. It creates a very interesting flow I think.



Thank you very much for joining me on my fuzz-fuelled journey and I hope you have enjoyed my general ramblings about my favourite fuzz songs.

Peace.

 

All of the songs played, talked about and linked to above are the rightful property of their respective copyright owners and I am in no way attempting to claim any of their work as my own.


 
 
 

Yorumlar

Logo.png
bottom of page