I can’t find very much information at all on this band, other than they were a psychedelic rock band from Cleveland. I think I added this album when listening to The Freeborne the other night, and this was in the suggested section of Apple Music. The album was originally released by Mainstream Records, much like many of the albums I’ve been listening to lately. Given that there’s not really much other information on this album, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Trilogy” has a very soothing fade-in that becomes a very interesting psychedelic velvet that wraps you up as the song progresses. There’s a very interesting almost counter melody between the nice sweeping guitar that seems to hit some very flavorful notes that sound somewhat diminished versus the vocals that seem to hit the major notes. Wow, this song changed up a whole lot, and now has a completely different feel from the first part yet feels like a somewhat natural evolution of music. That bass and percussion just sort of stir things up slowly while the guitar goes in. Oh wow, this part of the song is absolutely wonderful, I can’t seem to turn it up loud enough. I really dig the chorus vocals in this one, and I’m pretty excited for the rest of the album based on this track.
“Sweet Talkin’ Women” has a really groovy beginning to it, which almost has a psychedelic funk feel to it. I love the interplay between the lead and rhythm guitar parts. Oh dang, that guitar part is absolutely sick. There’s like some sort of Texas blues groove to this one in a certain way. Dang, I sort of just got lost in this song, and I’m definitely digging it.
“Jane’s Song (The Slow One)” has an almost European folk feel to it with the style of the acoustic guitars being played. The vocals also have such a strong, unique chorus sound to it – incredibly well synchronized singing combined with delicate guitar work really paints a sort of medieval folk feel to it, but the vocals are cutting through the mix very strongly, giving a really nice, abrasive psychedelic edge to it.
Oh wow, “Hide The Water” starts out with some super bluesy guitar that sort of evolves into more of a psychedelic rock song while subverting bluesy expectations. I’m digging this song a lot. Oh wow, the electric guitar solo is super tasty while the piano, drums, and bass really keep the song flowing through things in the background. I can tell I’m going to revisit a few of these songs in the coming weeks. Oh wow, the percussion has this nice steady tambourine in the back. Great little tune.
Oh wow, “Afternoon” has a super interesting feel to it. The chorus vocals are super strong in the mix, providing some great in your face psychedelia in the tune. I really dig the percussion in this one; it’s just got a really nice psychedelic groove to it and sounds very syncopated and has a sort of raga feel in terms of stylings. The organ sort of keeps things swirling around in the background, while the acoustic guitar provides a nice jangle, and the electric guitar plays a nice little solo overtop. Those drums were pretty awesome, and definitely a great little tune.
“Slow It Down” has a super interesting feel to it with some rapid playing from the bass and rhythm guitars, while the drums themselves has a a really laid back feel only playing a few extra notes in a measure on rare occasions, but mostly keeping with the steady groove it’s got going. The electric guitar has a sort of urgency to it, while still playing something relatively relaxing. It reminds me of Widespread Panic, honestly.
Oh wow, “Too Early To Be Late” has a very abrupt start. The melody reminds me a lot of “Dear Mr. Fantasy” by Traffic. The vocals are super in your face, while the soundscape of the song in general feels pretty epic. Oh wow, this melty solo part is really dripping with laid back psychedelia. Oh wow, this solo part built up to an awesome vocal line. I really dig how this song started so abruptly and sort of carried a lot of tension from the previous song because of that, and is playing something so cool and melodic in sound. The keyboards are super interesting as they fade in and out in rapid succession, and almost have me in a sort of trance as the rest of the song continues around it. Dang, this song is really awesome.
Oh wow, “Last Monday Night” starts out with some super groovy psychedelic guitar licks that remind me a lot of Fields from a little while back. The swirling organs along with the drums keep me sort of entranced while the electric guitar really goes in on this track. Honestly this would be a sweet album to own on vinyl. Oh wow, some of those licks are absolutely delicious, and incredibly fresh the whole way through.
Oh wow, “Black Road Rider” is super interesting. It’s got like a rubber ducky sort of feel to it, which is not something I thought I would ever say music reminded me of. This song definitely has a super groovy feel to it. That chromatic bass line really gives the song a great platform to stand on. This song reminds me a lot of Hot Tuna, honestly. The interplay between the two guitar parts is absolutely awesome to listen to, all while the bass line sort of pulls things together. Great little tune.
“Livin Way Too Fast” starts out with some super interesting tri-tones before building up to some epic sounding bluesy funk psychedelic rock guitar track. The female vocals is absolutely awesome in the feeling coming from them with the texture combined with the strength behind it. I really dig the congas alongside the normal kit, while the rhythm guitar keeps the groove going, and the lead guitar really plays some super tasty wah-wah’d out guitar. The playing definitely has a little bit of a looser feel in general, and the band feels like they’re really tying up this listening experience quite nicely. Definitely a nice way to end this groovy album.
Wow, this album had a lot of super groovy tunes I’m going to be coming back to. I’m definitely on a late 60s/early 70s psychedelic rock run right now, but I can’t stop coming back for more when I listen to an album like this one. If you’re a fan of psychedelic rock at all, I think you might enjoy this one. And if you enjoy an interesting listening experience in general, you might get a good amount of mileage out of this one. Either way, if you do decide to give this one a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A