Nocturnal Emission by Pablo: Album Review
Nocturnal Emission by Pablo: Album Review
Paul “Pablo” Thomas, frontman for the Latino-funk outfit Spellbound, returns three years after his previous album, Neutron City, with a new solo project called Nocturnal Emission.
Pablo, a vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer utilizes his sonic palette with a classic selection drawn straight from the golden age of psychedelia: guitar through a germanium fuzz, twelve-string guitar, Farfisa and Hammond organs, harpsichord, vibraphone and sitar. The effects are
The result is a dense collection of instruments and sonic effects, combined with an extremely pleasant and positive atmosphere.
equally familiar territory – deep reverbs, long delays and extensive stereo-panning experiments. The result is a dense collection of instruments and sonic effects, combined with an extremely pleasant and positive atmosphere.
From the very first notes, we’re treated to charming Summer of Love-style songs that evoke the spirit of The Pop Art Experimental Band, Strawberry Alarm Clock and 13th Floor Elevators with echoes of more contemporary bands such as Kula Shaker. The harmonies, compositions and instrumentation all seem to have been lifted from the era, but as the album progresses, Pablo gradually moves towards a more modern sound and begins to surprise us with his arrangements.
Unexpected instruments, like the Hawaiian slack key guitar, suddenly appear at seemingly unlikely moments. At other times, Pablo catches the listener off guard by dropping a heavy metal riff into a composition, only to transform it further down the track into classic krautrock in the style of Amon Düül, complete with distinctive spoken-word delivery. Sitar, tanpura, synthesizers and distorted guitars then combine to create a wonderfully twisted, completely far out sonic space that works surprisingly well. Pablo is also comfortable with more contemporary neo-psychedelic sounds, featuring swaying riffs, intelligently handled harmonies and expressive vocals that give the songs a pleasant, hypnotic pulse. There are also pop-rock numbers reminiscent of classic acts like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The album closes with a psycho-funky track built around distorted bass, a string machine, an unusually textured guitar sound and a nicely executed Hendrix-style guitar part.
Pablo is also comfortable with more contemporary neo-psychedelic sounds.
The songs are sung well. Pablo has an interesting voice and comes up with plenty of good melodic ideas. The backing vocals are also well-arranged, entering at just the right moments to create additional harmonic depth. As compositions, all of the songs are quite good. They may not be especially original – it is usually easy to identify their sources of inspiration or find a familiar point of reference – but the album remains enjoyable from beginning to end. Although the music can certainly be described as psychedelic, and Pablo himself calls it “psychedelic alternative rock,” it is not intensely challenging. At the same time, it is far from banal. The real strength of the album lies in its positive, slightly off-the-wall feel.
Unfortunately, there is another side to the story. The entire album was created and performed by one person. There are musicians capable of doing everything themselves, but here it becomes clear that Pablo is first and foremost a guitarist. The guitars are played quite well, and this is where the album truly shines.
There is another aspect of the album that deserves attention. Pablo wrote, performed, and produced the entire project. As impressive as this is, there are artists who can genuinely pull this off to great effect. Pablo is clearly a guitarist, and the guitar work is quite good. It is equally clear, however, that he is
Pablo is clearly a guitarist, and the guitar work is quite good.
not a particularly skilled drummer or keyboard player, nor is he a sound engineer. Leaving the lo-fi aesthetic aside–which can be a perfectly valid artistic choice–the drums are played at a decidedly amateur level, and that is a shame.
The material on Nocturnal Emission is already interesting in its present form, but professionally played drums would significantly raise its artistic impact. The keyboards do not play a major role in the arrangements – they mainly function as pleasant harmonic background. However, whenever they take on a melodic role, a certain lack of self-assurance becomes noticeable.
There are also some perceptible production issues. You can hear places where different sections of the songs have been joined together, as well as moments where the timing and precision simply fall apart. Precision is not necessarily a prerequisite for good music, of course – plenty of great records deliberately embrace looseness – but it becomes a problem when the various elements occasionally seem to drift apart rather than lock together.
Despite these shortcomings, I find Nocturnal Emission an interesting and worthwhile listen. There is plenty of good stuff here–a genuine feel for psychedelic textures, and a clear enthusiasm for the music that inspired it. What I find slightly puzzling is why, with such a promising musical proposition, Pablo chose not to put a band together. This material could probably benefit enormously from a group of musicians capable of bringing its ideas to life with greater precision, energy and spontaneity. Perhaps that is where the real potential of Nocturnal Emission lies – not in adding more sounds, but in allowing these already interesting songs to breathe through the hands of a full band.
The album will be released digitally via Selfish Recordings on all major streaming platforms, with a limited-edition CD edition scheduled for release on September 15th, 2026.
Piotr Dudzikowski is a sound engineer, producer, composer, musician, and founder of the Polish psychedelic band More Experience. He holds a PhD in art history and works as a university lecturer.
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