Homespun: Tok

As co-leaders of Tok, brothers Bryan and Matt Basler revel in thick, hazy riffs of stoner rock, which they layer over an articulated but unrepentant rhythm section. Parts of the album sound like a sampler disc of Sub Pop Records' early-'90s roster. Opener "Got No Need" has all the crunch, speed and bravado of Bleach-era Nirvana, while elsewhere the twisted twang of the Supersuckers and the super-fuzz of Mudhoney pop up. But it isn't all louder/faster/stronger on Cobra Box: "Cars Drive Much Faster" dabbles in power balladry (in a good way) and "Quick Enough" comes off like a more plaintive Social Distortion. But the brothers Basler were born to rock, and the majority of these fourteen tracks make that clear. What's fascinating is Tok's ability to take the genre of stoner rock — one that is built upon repetition — and make an album of varied rock & roll that never repeats itself.

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