The Wicked Whispers was a psychedelic rock band from Liverpool, England, formed in 2010, and split up sometime in 2018. I’m not exactly sure when the band came across my dashboard, but I’m guessing it was in the past week when I was checking out some artists from the recent decade. It seems the lead singer of the group is performing as a solo artist now based on the group’s Twitter account activity. This album, Maps of the Mystic (2014), seems to be the only full length album that the group released during their time together. I’ve really been digging the flavors I’ve been hearing from the artists I’ve listened to from the recent decade, so I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Chronological Astronaut” gets grooving after a quick countdown with a really interesting medley of folksy guitars, baroque horns, and a psychedelic pop arrangement. Holy smokes, I’m really digging this track. The band really builds up nicely to some super flavorful crescendos as the horns swell up with the psychedelic flavorings in the arrangement and reverberations in the soundscape. I really dig that the vocals get sort of guttural as they dig down for intensity. Great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Oh wow, “House of Peppermint” starts out with some clean guitar that seems to melt into the soundscape with a folksy psychedelic style. I really dig the sort of pseudo-raga and inviting folksy flavors in the bass guitar, percussion, and the flute. Oh wow, the organs really add a smooth psychedelic accentuation to the soundscape that I’m really enjoying. Super sweet track.
“Paper Dove” starts out with a really groovy movement that feels like a British folk tune from the late 1960s revival, mixed with a heavy dose of psychedelic sensibilities from the 1960s San Francisco scene. Oh wow, this track sounds absolutely massive during the chorus. Oh wow, there’s a bit of an instrumental break with just the bass guitar keeping the flow going, almost as if the band is giving those listening a moment to catch their breathe. The electric guitar has some classic psychedelic rock flavors with the tremelo effect. Great track.
Oh wow, “Flying ‘Round In Circles” has a very calming melody with the brushing of the acoustic guitar chords and the easy guidance of the organs in the track, which is combined with some groovy psychedelic flavors to make a super sweet psychedelic folk pop sounding track. Oh wow, this instrumental jam in the latter half of the tune has hooked me in even further. Great tune.
“Amanda Lavender” starts out with the sound of someone walking through nature, and shortly after a far out psychedelic folk-oriented song picks up with the groovy acoustic guitar work and some far out organs that combine to form what nearly sounds like a modern indie rock fused with roots from the west coast psychedelic rock scene of the 1960s. Super groovy tune.
“Diamond Soup” starts out with a sort of mystical sound that reminds me of some of the soft psych groups from the 1960s like Orpheus or Chamaeleon Church. Oh wow, I really dig the bass line that grooves the tune along from the background combined with the accentuations from a super sweet piano to the side. Holy smokes, a violin has entered the soundscape and has dialed the sweetness up even higher, and brings a sort of baroque feel to the track along with it. Oh wow, I really dig the little clean guitar movement before the final chorus of the track begins. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “Medusa” starts out with some super sweet flavors from some strong vocals and a symphony of jangling psychedelic instrumentation that get right into your face in a really groovy way. Holy smokes, the track continues to build on itself and pulls me further into the music. Oh wow, there’s some really groovy drum breaks during the extended vocal lines in the latter half of the tune. Holy smokes, there’s an instrumental movement that features the clean, melting tone of the electric guitar on a sort of pedestal of sorts created by the other instruments that I’m really digging. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Maps of the Mystic” starts out with some droning notes that have a bit of a raga feel, but the rest of the instrumentation soon joins in a sort of psychedelic folk pop manner that keeps me listening even closer to the music. Oh wow, I’m really digging this track. The overall feel reminds me of the psychedelic folk stylings that remind me a bit of Mark Fry. Oh wow, the organs come into the soundscape and seem to somehow build the soundscape up more and more. Super sweet track.
Holy smokes, “You Wouldn’t Believe” starts out in a manner that almost feels sinister in relation to the rest of the album. The feel of this track has a sort of psychedelic garage rock sound reminiscent of 1967, with the band continually taking the song out further and further. Holy smokes, the soundscape sweetens up a ton near the middle of the song, and nearly gets into a sort of building groove that almost sounds primal in the percussion to some degree. Oh wow, the groove builds up to a super sweet conclusion to the track, and doesn’t release all of the tension. Great tune.
Holy smokes, “I’d Follow You Anywhere” seemingly releases the rest of the tension that the previous track didn’t, with the instruments reaching out into the soundscape with some super groovy reverberations that seem to ease their way through the soundscape. Oh wow, the electric guitar and acoustic guitar almost sound as if they’re being played from an underwater church in a really sweet way. I really dig the horns in this track, as they seem to provide an extra force behind the forward moving feeling in the track. Oh wow, the sweetness in the track somehow continues building as more layers are continually added. The combination of the electric guitar melting into the soundscape with its clean tone and the swirling organs adding some psychedelic accentuations with the rest of the instrumentation of the track make a super sweet psychedelic symphony that is increasingly pleasing to hear. Great track.
Oh wow, “Odyssey Mile” shifts from the previous track and moves towards something that feels like the band is marching you along the final stretch of a long journey of some sort, in a manner that’s far out and nearly dissonant coming off of the heels of the previous track. Holy smokes, the soundscape sweetens up a ton as the acoustic guitar is added, causing the band to move into an increasingly sweet psychedelic rock movement with a really groovy swing that seems to begin to tie together the album. Holy smokes, the saxophone in this track is super groovy. Oh wow, the track falls right back into the opening movement of the track, which really ties together the track in a super groovy way. Wow, great tune and a great way to end this album.
This album is a super sweet listening experience. The depth of the flavor palette only increased as the listening experience continued, ranging from baroque to psychedelic rock, with a lot of psychedelic folk and pflavors that reminded me of the British folk revival of the 1960s combined with the psychedelic rock scene from San Francisco circa 1967, with some more modern and even indie sensibilities mixed in to create a unique listening experience. If you enjoy psychedelic folk at all, you might to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A