Cold Sun is a psychedelic rock band first formed around 1968 under a different name, and went under a few name changes before arriving at Dark Shadows, and was based around the central Texas area. Though this album didn’t see the light of day until 1989, Cold Sun recorded the album around 1970 before the group had disbanded some time in 1973, as one of the members of the band went on to work with Roky Erickson, who is known as a co-founder of the 13th Floor Elevators. Since this album, Dark Shadows (1989), was initially released, there have been a few remasters since, as the album has gained a bit of a cult following with fans of the genre. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“South Texas” starts out with some really far out chords from what might be an auto harp and a guitar, which has a sound that reminds me a fair deal of the strangeness of The Doors. Holy smokes, the electric guitar just came in with a mesmerizing line, and I’m already hooked into the track. Oh wow, the vocals have come in and now the overall sound is like some old southern Texan cowboy was unknowingly dosed, and now what you’re hearing is the far out ramblings of the soundtrack that resulted from his experience. This is super sweet, and I’m really digging this album at this point already. Holy smokes, the electric guitar nearly sounds like it’s crying as it swells in and out. Holy smokes, the drums in this track have such a groovy swing to them too. The soundscape sort of reminds me of Los Angeles-based psychedelic rock bands from the late 1960s, and I’m all for it. Just based on this song alone, I can say that I already want to get this album on vinyl. Awesome track, and I’m excited to hear more.
“Twisted Flower” starts out with a gradual chugging from the drums and bass before launching into a sort of chaotic, but blissfully melodic movement with what sounds like an electric guitar and a groovy auto harp. Holy smokes, this song is groovy. There’s more of a sort of underbelly to the instrumentation in this tune that reminds me of The Doors, but the sound is also distinct from that as well. Wow, great tune.
Holy smokes, “Here in the Year” starts out with a super groovy melodic line from the electric guitar that has a tone that seems to remind me a bit of Robby Krieger from The Doors combined with some Jerry Garcia from Garcia’s work with the Jerry Garcia Band. Oh wow, the auto harp has such a flavorful sound as it seems to serve the tune both rhythmically and melodically. Oh wow, the tune has evolved to a new movement that got a bit gritty for a moment with distortion before seemingly breaking through to another melodious part. Holy smokes, the bass guitar behind the tune is playing some super sweet lines that seem to both bubble and swirl around in the background. This album is really fitting my ears quite nicely at the moment, as I’m heavily considering ordering a copy of this album at the moment. Oh wow, this tune evolves a bunch, building up tension and releasing it again with a ton of flavor. I’m also reminded a bit of The Velvet Underground a bit with the tone of the music combined with the use of droning feedback on the guitar. Wow, great tune.
“Forever” starts out with a bit of a countdown from the drums before jumping into a flavorful psychedelic groove from the band, complete with a lightly distorted guitar that seems to eek out more and more flavor as the tune continues, and the auto harp, which creates a really interesting complement to the electric guitar. Oh wow, this nearly shamanistic section of the song feels very reminiscent of The Doors, and I’m all for it. Oh wow, the song becomes chaotic as more distortion is added to the layers, which seem to create the sound of a spooky breeze for a moment, before the slick electric guitar and auto harp seem to come back and nearly seem to wash through the soundscape. Great track.
Oh wow, “See What You Cause” has a really groovy sound that feels reminiscent of some earlier days of psychedelic rock when many groups were evolving from garage rock bands. Holy smokes, this tune is super groovy. The upbeat feeling is infectious, and even seems to have a bit of a Texas inflection the closer I listen. Oh wow, the band gets into a super flavorful jam for the end of the track. Great tune.
Holy smokes, “Fall” starts out strong with some strong grooves from the drums and guitar, and a howling harmonica in the background that seems to bring in a bit of a bluesy feel. Oh wow, this tune reminds me a bit of St. John Green, a psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles around 1968. The grooves in this tune seem to get even more melodious as the tune continues. Holy smokes, the tune seems to move into a second movement with a strange percussion effect, which seems to cue the rest of the instruments into a section that makes the song even groovier with the melodic lines from the guitar and auto harp. Oh wow, another movement is started and seems a bit grittier as the guitar now has a bit of distortion, and the drums even sound a bit more primordial in nature. Oh wow, another movement has started; the tune keeps changing and evolving so much, and I keep getting caught up in these grooves so much, that it can be tricky not to get lost in the music. Great track.
“Ra-Ma” starts out with a vibe that very much reminds me of The Doors’ approach from songs like “The End”, as the drums nearly have a gentle, nearly shamanic swing at first. Oh wow, the tune drops into a new movement that seems to be starting the early stages of wrapping up this album with a tune that seems to be in-your-face in a super groovy way. The slick movements in this tune from the electric guitar, auto harp, and even the bass, all have that hypnotic sound that keeps the listener traveling further than they might realize. Holy smokes, the addition of the harmonica adds even more flavor to this tune in a with a seemingly hypnotic sound that one might consider to be a whiskey flavored psychedelic blues sound. Holy smokes, the band gets into a super groovy, laid-back psychedelic groove for a moment, and the vocals come back in and seem to release a bunch of tension that I didn’t realize had even built up. Oh wow, the jangliness of the tambourine in outro is super sweet as the band puts the finishing touches on the tune and album with some flavorful chords from what sounds to be a lone guitar. Great tune, and great way to finish up this album.
Holy smokes, this album is awesome. If you’re at all into the psychedelic stylings of groups like The Doors or even The Velvet Underground, you might want to consider checking out this album. The sleek guitar tone combined with the flow of the auto harp creates a flavorful and unique sound, which only becomes even more hypnotic when you add the groovy bass lines and, what I would possibly consider to be a shamanic rock and roll sort of style of drumming, which is somewhat reminiscent of John Densmore of The Doors. There were also some flavors of what I imagine to be Texas at times, which vaguely reminded me of Shiva’s Headband, a psychedelic rock band from Austin, Texas, around the time of the recording of this album. This is definitely an album I’m already actively looking to get on vinyl. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A