PSYCHEDELIC PROG
Take a trip with ROB HUGHES as he seeks out the latest mind-expanding music.
Following on from previous albums Ngan! and Tschak!, Russian cosmonauts Gnoomes offer up Mu! (Rocket Recordings), the third in their self-styled ‘Exclamation Mark Trilogy’. Leader Sasha Piankov has expanded the line-up to a quartet, allowing the band to stretch into spacey nirvana, from the blissed-out How Do You to the seriously trippy Irma, which sounds like horses stampeding over some distant astral horizon. Wonderful, in a word.
By contrast, inner space is the place for pan-Asian duo Tengger, whose Spiritual 2 (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond) finds Itta and Marqido crafting psychedelic drone music on analogue synths, harmonium and various toy instruments. The result is profoundly trance-like, particularly Kyrie and the Neu!-inspired High. Ajari feels like a New Age rejoinder to the electronic pulse of The Who’s Baba O’Riley.
On earthier territory, Californian veterans Yawning Man deliver improvised guitar instrumentals from deep in the Joshua Tree desert on the thrilling Macedonian Lines (Heavy Psych Sounds). The trio of Gary Arce, Mario Lalli and Bill Stinson have been together since the late 80s, perfecting a balance of post-rock and cerebral psychblues. The emphasis here is on textures rather than riffs, with great titles like I’m Not A Real Indian (But I Play One On TV) and Bowie’s Last Breath.
If it’s dream-pop that floats your celestial boat, then Sweden’s Death And Vanilla are ideal captains. The trio excel on Are You A Dreamer? (Fire), recalling late-60s Californian psych and 90s shoegaze, borne on the drifting vocals of Marleen Nilsson. They’re also capable of rocking out when the mood takes, as on the churning Vespertine. Staying with a watery metaphor, Until The Tide Creeps In (Bella Union) is a swimmingly-fine debut from Brighton-based four-piece, Penelope Isles. The band are anchored by the songwriting team of siblings Jack and Lily Wolter, whose mixture of indie-kid smarts and hazy psychpop feels like a homegrown companion to Beach House. Underwater Record Store is as charming as its title suggests, while the percussive Gnarbone builds up a head of steam à la Public Service Broadcasting.
Led by Oli Heffernan (once of Year Of Birds), Middlesbrough’s Ivan The Tolerable & The Elastic Band dispense proggy psychedelia and beardy space-jams on Rations (Stolen Body). Prolific to the point of averaging three albums a year, the instrumental ensemble rely on ambient grooves, pastoral moods and hypnotic guitars for maximum effect.
And chops to Lost Souls Of Saturn, whose self-titled debut (R&S) sees the core duo of Seth Troxler and Phil Moffa explore everything from avant-jazz to cult sci-fi, throbbing techno and beyond. Impossible to classify, easier to admire.