Although at their inception Memphis, Tennessee's Aquarian Blood were leaning towards garage-punk sounds, these days the septet are firmly drenched in psych-folk ideas, where the founders of the band, JB and Laurel Horrell bring us a distinct listening experience.

“Forecast Paralyzed” gets the record off to a warm, mysterious start, where the Horrell's voices are met with Jeremy Speakes' thumping drums and some spacey synth draw us in. “Cold Jet Steel” follows, and is more straightforward, folk oriented with soft acoustic guitar and poetic singing in a bare climate.

Moving into the middle, “Golden Roan” is uniquely dreamy via the buzzing synth bursts, well timed keys and swirling guitar, while “No Sympathy”, a song penned by Peter Tosh and popularized by Bob Marley, turns the reggae tune into a gentle, flowing moment of hushed singing and cozy guitar.

Side B starts with the campfire meets tribal mood of the percussively strong “Flying Home”. The title track then welcomes the richest landscape of the album, as pretty singing, mesmerizing melody and a progressive folk creativity unfolds via much charm.

The final two tracks, “To Stay” and “Ever And Ever”, keep the album consistent. The former carries a bit more density amid the spirited guitar and nearly meditative sounds, and the latter features Annalisabeth Craig on violin for the chamber nods that build into a trance like exit.

The Horrell's are also joined by Keith Cooper (synth), Jesse James Davis (guitar), Robby Grant (guitar) and Michael Perry (percussion), and it makes for a chanting, droning, highly atypical version of lo-fi folk that is best absorbed in its entirety. The use of wooden flute, the sounds of rain and JB's technique of playing the guitar vertically, between his knees won't do unappreciated, either.

Rating: B

User Rating: Not Yet Rated

Comments