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Espers – The Weed Tree (2005)

Posted on December 2, 2020

Espers was a psychedelic folk band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and formed in 2002 and lasted until about 2010. I came across the group while trying to find other psychedelic folk artists that I’ve listened to lately like Linda Perhacs and The Incredible String Band. According the band’s Wikipedia page, they incorporate elements from the late-1960s British folk scene as well as contemporary folk artists. This particular album, The Weed Tree (2005), and featured originals as well as covers of songs originally by artists like Nico, The Durutti Column, Michael Hurley, and Blue Oyster Cult, while being influenced by Bert Jansch as well as The Famous Jug Band in other traditional songs. I’m super stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
Oh wow, “Rosemary Lane” starts out with some extremely pleasant acoustic guitar and I’m immediately hooked. The guitar part does indeed sound influenced by Bert Jansch. Oh wow, the vocal performance has a super pleasant falsetto sound that reminds me a ton of the British folk music from the late ’60s. Holy smokes, this song is awesome. The bass creates a massive sound that gently warms the whole soundscape, while the violin adds a ton of sweetness to the track. Oh wow, this is interesting. There’s like a moog synthesizer of sorts almost taking the place of what might otherwise be a harpsichord. The percussion in the track has a really pleasant flowing feel that gentles coaxes the song along. Wow, this tune is sweet. It almost sounds like you’re somehow rocking back and forth on a ship that’s being carried by a gentle breeze across a countryside meadow. Wow, great track and I’m super excited for the rest of the tracks on the album.
Oh wow, “Tomorrow” starts out with some gentle, somewhat breezy percussion as the shakers create a soft soundscape, which is soon joined in by a countdown from the vocals to introduce the rest of the instrumentation. This is sweet. It almost reminds me of a super folksy version of Anton Newcombe and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Oh wow, the sweetness of the what I think is a combination of a bassy keyboard/organ, a pleasant bass or plucked cello, and some sweet stringed orchestral instruments that combine with the breezy shakers to produce a super pleasant backdrop while the different acoustic guitars outline the soundscape. Oh wow, a flute joins in as well to make the tune feel even breezier. Great track.
“Black Is the Color” stars out with some really pleasant and bright wind-chimes scattered about the soundscape, while the guitars almost have a solemn quality to them. Oh wow, the sweetness of the bass/cello played creates a really solemn pleasant sound that seems to echo the guitar playing. Wow, the duet vocals really have a super delicate quality as both the man’s voice and the woman’s voice take on a falsetto sound, super sweet. The man’s voice drops out during the verse portion while the woman’s voice seems to once again echo that pleasant solemness of the instrumentation. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Afraid” has a near lullaby-like quality in this tune originally by Nico. It almost has a sound that reminds me a bit of Coldplay with the abundance of sweetness throughout the track, especially with the combination of the orchestral strings, flute, and vocals all seeming to hum and play alongside each other while the guitar plays a bit of a counterpoint that brings a nice flavor to the tune. Super sweet track.
Holy smokes, “Blue Mountain” has a ton of flavor within the first moments of the tune that has me nearly incapable of writing as I listen. It’s got this spacey-psychedelic quality to it while still being distinctly a folk tune. Wow, this is sweet. The droning of the cello or bass played with a bow seems to play super pleasantly along the plucky gallop of an acoustic guitar, while another acoustic guitar plays an extremely pleasant repetitive melody that sounds almost like it’s played on a dobro. Wow, there are some seriously spacey whistles and effects that move about the background of the soundscape, while a jangling percussive section seems to travel about the soundscape on a completely separate route. Awesome track.
Oh wow, “Flaming Telepaths” starts out with some really tasty folk guitar with a great slow stepping beat from the drums. Oh wow, this is sweet. The vocal duet is back, and with tons of flavor. Holy smokes, an electric guitar just entered the soundscape, seemingly melting into the tune with its soft and clean tone. Holy smokes, now there’s some really interesting keyboard sounds that almost seem to be like an electric harpsichord for a moment. Wow, the strumming on the acoustic guitar provides such a nice flavor between the different movements of the tune. There’s a really sweet sound from the orchestral stringed instruments as well. Holy smokes, the drums just switched up to what reminds me a lot of a late 60s soft psychedelic swing. Holy smokes, there’s some electric guitars now with some awesome flavor, sounding like they’re sent through tubes from the netherworld as they enter into the track, providing a great contrast against the acoustic backdrop. Holy smokes, there’s like some sort of chaotic reversed and sped up vocal jam in the background, like someone was able to spin a Black Sabbath record reversed at 45rpm. The electric guitars and orchestral strings seem to begin to vaguely follow suit with a super chaotic sound that oozes some great flavor. Holy smokes, great exploratory tune.
Oh wow, “Dead King” starts out with a ton of delicate flavors from the acoustic guitars that have an increasing level of sweetness coming off the heels of the previous tune. Oh wow, the female singer’s vocals come into the soundscape like a sweet beacon of light that feel representative of some sort of divine guidance in a mythological hero’s journey. Oh wow, the soundscape suddenly gets a bit strange with some nearly shamanic folksy drumming alongside with some strings and moog synthesizer that sounds like what you might hear in some sort of room in which a wizard is performing a strange ritual. Oh wow, the female vocalist’s voice comes back on through that seemingly dark part of the tune again, once again grounding you. Oh wow, things go back to that wizardry old folksy shamanic sound again as the tune fades out, nearly indicating the journey is seemingly in the listener’s hands. Wow, great track and a great way to tie up this album.
Holy smokes, this albums was pretty sweet. I could definitely hear influences of artists like Bert Jansch and The Famous Jug Band throughout the folksy playing, all while things got pretty psychedelic at times. If you dig 60s folk music and psychedelic music, you might want to check out this album. I definitely want to get it on vinyl. If you do decide to give this one a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A

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