This
band was a complete unknown to me when their debut cd I landed on my laptop. A quick piece of
searching for information turned into a much more detailed search than I had
thought, but I did glean some information. Under The Psycamore are a
neo-progressive rock band hailing from Sweden. There are only two members of
Under The Psycamore, Jonathan Grieff and Carl Blomqvist.
The
debut album I, consists of eight
songs with a running time of approx. 48 minutes. The shortest track is track 2,
“Beyond The Fire Part 1” clocking in at 2:15 minutes and the longest track,
“The Gatherer” running to 8:13 minutes.
As
ever, I always feel that the opening track of an album is a very important
track for setting how you tend to view the rest of the album. With this in
mind, let’s get started with Track 1, “ The Owls (ANWTS)” (2:38) which is a
relatively short starting track. There is a gentle acoustic guitar introduction,
which is a very soothing relaxing piece of music, with the sound building very
slowly until around the 2:00 minute mark when there is a complete change with
bass/drums which continues to the end of the track. A track designed, I feel,
to whet the appetite.
Track
2 and 3 are Parts 1 and 2 of “Beyond The Fire,” running for 2:15 and 5:31
minutes respectively and starts with a beautiful acoustic interplay on the
guitars, with a definite “hook” to it. The bass and drums edge their way into
the piece as it builds up with the voices deep in the mix, emerging as the
track evolves into Part 2. This continues in an acoustic vein prior to the
drums/bass and guitar joining in, and the “proper” vocals which have a
distinctive breathy sound to them. The track then explodes with ferocity as the
electric instruments and the drums move up several notches and the vocals
become much harsher. This then reverts to the more genteel intro to the track
with very sparse instrumentation and almost “scat” singing. The whole track is
very atmospheric and the bass/drums/electric guitar start to build again but
remain in the background and subdued. Slowly this changes to the harsher sound
from earlier before returning to the gentler acoustic sound. Certainly reminds
this reviewer of bands like, Porcupine Tree and Marillion.
“Celestial”
(7:22), track 4 starts off with a much fuller sound, beautifully harmonized
vocals, bass and drums, with a very quirky stop-start tempo. This leads into a
bass led motif with the vocal harmonies continuing. A glorious guitar picks out
a memorable melody over the top of the voices, before the track reverts to the
acoustic setting again. There is a point where the song stops then starts up
again and the gentle acoustic melody builds in intensity again as the song
moves towards the coda.
Track
5, “The Gatherer” (8:13), starts with the trademark acoustic setting and a simple
melody. An electric guitar takes the lead, but remains subdued with strings
increasing in the background. This is terrific guitar playing, followed by an
increasingly intense bass guitar, and harmonized vocals appear again. The
backing builds and recedes constantly and the vocals take on an echo/slightly
distorted sound. This whole sequence provides an almost Moroccan feel to the
track before slowing into the acoustic setting with congas providing the
rhythm. The intensity of the music increases as the track moves towards its
finale.
“Amalthea”
(7:48), track 6 begins with acoustic guitar layers merging into a wall of sound
with a distorted electric guitar picking out a melody. Harmonized vocals again
enter the fray and add another layer to the track. The track revolves through
gentle acoustic passages to the harsher electric settings. This is a display of
great musicianship from both members of the band.
The
penultimate track, “Garmonbozia” (8:12) has a different bass melody intro with
strumming acoustic guitars, slightly distorted vocals and this sparse
instrumentation continues for a little while then the vocals clear and the
sound takes on a heavier feel. Another terrific guitar motif over the vocals
and the “wall of sound,” before a return to the sparse earlier setting and
there is a swinging into and out of the heavier sounds as the track motors
towards its finale.
“Remember
Me” (6.59) and the final track on the album might be viewed as a plea from the
band to the listener. An almost siren-like intro with harmonized vocals which
bring to mind CSN and Y. The track veers from the gentle acoustic passages to
the heavier electric passages with rapid time shifts but it all seems to work.
For
a first album, this certainly promises a great future for the band. They
certainly seem to have been influenced by a variety of bands including the
previously mentioned Porcupine Tree and Marillion, and also, Yes, Tool, IQ and
Pineapple Thief, but use this influence in a masterful manner to create a sound
that encompasses the sound of these bands but is uniquely, Under The Psycamore.
Footnote: Apparently, they were brought to the
attention of Trey Gunn (King Crimson). He was so excited by the initial
recordings of the band that he contacted them about working together with his
label, 7D Media…and the rest, as they say, is history. Well it could be if
further releases live up to the promise of
I.
Key Tracks: Beyond
The Fire (parts 1 and 2):The Gatherer: Remember Me
Jim “The Ancient
One” Lawson-MuzikReviews.com Staff
October 22,
2012
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