Solstice by Elf Freedom–Album Review (plus Two Others)
Solstice by Elf Freedom–Album Review (plus Two Others)
Three very different albums, all looking to have a psychedelic element to their sound, each in their own way and with varying degrees of success.
Myriad Veil is a “psychedelic folk project” by Dutch duo Ivy and Ismena. How folk or psychedelic, I’m not entirely sure. She has a strong voice, which rides atop the guitar and drifting synth and string backing. It’s probably more late-night singer/songwriter than psych in its sound and atmosphere. For me, the problem is that the eight tracks—all five minutes plus in length—are all very similar and one-paced. There are some interesting ideas nonetheless, but hopefully, there will be more variety next time.
Westfalia’s five-track mini album Odds and Ends comes from an entirely different world. Cure-ish synths rub shoulders with melodramatic Future Islands-style vocals, combined with tricksy jerky rhythms. Apparently, this record marks a turning point for the group, namely “Trip Rock”, featuring “a guitar wall of sound with pulsating rhythms of electronic machines”. Anyone into Idles, Battles (remember Math Rock?!?), and Nine Inch Nails might go for this. At times there’s a retro Tubeway Army feel to the doomy synths, while other tracks like “Berluschoney” and “Parasite” aim for a more Prince-like sound. There’s plenty going on, but I’m not sure if it all works together.
Fortunately, Elf Freedom’s excellent Solstice album saved the day for me. This is their third album, after The Wanderer’s Return and Capricorn Xeenia. On first listens it took me back to the immersive sounds of Espers and Tungg, or the lovely guitar meltdowns of 90’s UK Shoegaze heroes the Pale Saints and Boo Radleys. From the title and the “all songs channeled from the Elf dimension” dedication I was half expecting a deliberately retro trip back to Incredible String Band territory, but it’s a much more dense electric sound. The use of effects really brings things up to date over the intricate guitar work, with a pulsing percussive undertow and random trippy samples. There’s certainly no Gizzard or Sniffer-style safety net of playing it for irony or pastiche.
Their main players seem to be Bee Appleseed and Nora Keyes, and their mission statement describes them as “sonic alchemists that turn sound into an immense healing experience.” It’s one of those albums that marks out its territory from the start and maintains a subtle power throughout, drawing the listener into the gnarly sonic undergrowth. There are four long tracks – “Treasure Underground”, “Invisible Communication”, “Whispering Light” and “Our Souls The Same” – three of them around the ten-minute mark, before drawing breath with 1 minute 40 seconds closer Solstice rounding things off. From the cool combination of the opening track’s Hendrix-style guitar by Mirage and languid female vocals, Solstice is convincing proof that there’s a strong modern psychedelia that doesn’t have to mimic the original 60s and & 70s adventurers or go overboard for the electro/trance variations of the genre. I’m certainly looking forward to hearing what Elf Freedom will do next and will be checking out those older albums in the meantime.
Den Browne is the author of Padlocks: Living with Sid and Nancy.
Photo of Elf Power by Bee Appleseed via timer
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