Scaffolds of the Sky

Stoner rock tends to thrive in places where musicians have room to spread out -- California, Texas, and the Midwest, for instance -- which may explain why New York City's bringers-of-the-heavy Mirror Queen take a different approach than most of their peers. On their second album, 2015's Scaffolds of the Sky, Mirror Queen close out the set with a cover of Blue Öyster Cult's "Wings Wetted Down," and the glossier, artful big-city mysteries of BÖC's classic period seem to have made a serious impact on Mirror Queen's style (as did the trippiness and electronic overlays of Hawkwind, another acknowledged MQ influence). Mirror Queen sound precise where many '70s-obsessed stoner bands are willing to get a little loose, and if the tunes sound a bit doomstruck, the band manages to give them clean surfaces to go along with the towering guitars (from Kenny Kreisor, Philippe Ortanez, and on four tunes Thomas Bellier) and relentless drumming (by Jeremy O'Brien). Like BÖC, Mirror Queen seemingly want to be a thinking man's heavy band, and they know how to play this stuff with impressive chops and thoughtful style, and on "Vagabondage," they rev up with enough energy and forward velocity to plow through any resistance. Mirror Queen should be commended for trying to rock while contemplating a few of life's bigger questions, and Scaffolds of the Sky is a step forward from their debut. ~ Mark Deming