By: Ben Salvo
Rating: 6/11

There’s something to be said for a band with the ability to recall five or six decades of music within every one of their songs. Jay Cavanaugh, Conrad Sparnroft, and Patrick Conlon have certainly done their homework to smash together an amalgam of every rock sub-genre known to man. They are the Agents of Karma, a band born to testify its ‘evolution of music’ to the regulars of the New York bar scene from now until the end of time. Honestly, the concept itself is terrific: Resurrect everything that has ever been right about rock music, and weave it into a new sound for today’s audience. The problem, however, lies in the execution of the concept in which the Agents of Karma, like Dr. Frankenstein, sometimes lose control of the monster they’ve created.

They play songs that are driven heavily by Sparnroft’s guitar and Cavanaugh’s bass. For the most part, the two men deliver an intriguing, dark and harmonious wash of sound (“Mirror” and “Delta of Venus”), but often they lose sight of their style and lay down playful, bouncy guitar twangs in a few misguided novelty songs (“Looking for Leni” and “One Man’s Trash”). Cavanaugh tends to shy away from actual singing, opting to speak-sing or shout his politically driven lyrics, a style of vocals that resembles a drunken Les Claypool at a Danzig concert. Still, the Agents of Karma assert their epic status with songs that push the seven-minute mark, spouting references from the Twin Towers to Fundamentalism to international conspiracy, and ripping out thick, seemingly heroin-induced guitar solos.

Tracks “Fear” and “Earthbound Angel” showcase their better work despite being a little slow going, but Agents of Karma are a band to see live before making a final judgment. Catch them Public Assembly this Sunday, April 26th, or at Spike Hill on May 7th.