This is a site where I post reviews of CDs, DVDs, LPs, and concerts. I have been writing music reviews on and off since 1984. I ran a heavy metal fanzine from 1984-1988 called Metal Madness and have been a staff writer for Aural Innovations for many years. I have also contributed to Chrohinga Well (RIP), Bad Acid (RIP), Lowcut (RIP), Roadburn and a number of other zines as well. I recently moved to Portugal so please request the new address and do not send any music to Denmark anymore. Tak..
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Saturnia- Stranded in the Green High (Sulatron Records st 2102)
Luís is back with his 8th album and this must be the most spacey one yet. It features 9 tracks in 57 minutes. As with most of his album he recorded all the instruments himself. The LP version only features 7 tracks. Pan Arrives is a very short opening piece that leads into Keep it Long. This has that same vibe as The Real High but different lyrics and cool way to start the track and album with a bit of sitar! Fibonacci Numbers has this epic keyboard feel and a bit of Beatles inspiration, as did the first track. The vocal is very laid back as the music just flows. The bells are a nice touch. Smoking in the Sun is such an amazing number. You feel stoned listening to it. I just float away totally with the great melody and all the space sounds flying around. Just an incredible instrumental number. Super Natural (14mins) features the tambura and a very laid back vocal, some bird song and is quite dreamy. Later the Mellotron kicks and then the next section a nice synth solo is played and then back to mellotron (not sure if he has a real one?). Love the wide diversity of keyboards and synths he uses on this one. As well as the nice bass line and laid back drums. Master musician!!! When I am High, starts off with some nice piano playing then the mellotron kicks in to take the lead. Lots of spaced out sounds as well and nice stoned vocals. Love the spaced vibe and backwards guitar parts as well. Trippy. Perfectly Lonely (1 of the CD bonus tracks) starts slow with more backwards-highly effected guitar, a bit of GONG, and later he starts to play the drums. Butterfly Collector features some more nature sounds, and we enter into a full on trip again. I love the keyboard melody on this one. Very spaced and a bit of an eastern feel develops over time. Just Let yourself Go (also a CD bonus) finished off this 57min journey and is slow and the guitar lead almost a bit jazzy while the background is really spacey (what is synonym for spacey??). Nice way to end the record. For sure going to be in my top 10 for 2021!!! Luís is a totally unique artist in Portugal and stands up strong and proud in the Psychedelic scene. A real triumph!! On this album he plays guitars, sitar, tambura, bass, bass pedals, gong, organs, synthesizer, Rhodes piano, Mellotron, chimes and drums. And of course he sings. Ana Vitorino performs the spoken word on Pan Arrives and And Winga plays the Djembe on Keep it Long. The tracks were recorded between 2018 and summer 2020 at Lagoa do Calvo and mixed by Luis Simões. He also did the cover artwork.
No comments:
Post a Comment