Led by Isaiah Mitchell of
Earthless, Golden Void are one of the best new bands to emerge from the San Francisco
Bay Area for a while and following strong reviews for their 2012 self-titled
debut album they have been tipped to be the new face of Bay Area psychedelic
music. It’s a region that has always had a rich psychedelic tradition, through
the years birthing classic bands such as Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead,
Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Chocolate Watchband, Moby Grape and more
current Psych-Heads like Wooden Shjips, Sleepy Sun, The Brian Jonestown
Massacre and Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound, and like many of these great
bands Golden Void’s songs are firmly rooted in melody but they are not afraid
of exploration. The band’s hooks get stuck in your head and their spaced out
riffs transport you to a place way beyond the astral plane. But there is a
twist………Golden Void’s undeniable twist, setting them apart from their city’s
lineage, is the influence of classic Rock bands like Sabbath and Pentagram.
Golden Void’s “sound” falls somewhere between early 70s influenced Acid Rock
and Neil Young’s sonic adventures with Crazy Horse…..a heady brew of tripped
out Psychedelic Rock mixed with a muscular backbone of exhilarating
post-psychedelic Hard Rock sensibility that creates the perfect balance of powerful
riffs, soaring melodies and hazy atmosphere on Berkana, their sophomore album
on the Thrill Jockey label.
If you are familiar with
Earthless you will know that their thing is sprawling heavy psych jams stretching
to infinity and beyond. Golden Void are a different proposition altogether, less
of a cosmic jam band but tighter and more focused……… while their debut album was mostly recorded live,
Berkana was recorded with each member in isolation, allowing for more edits and
overdubs. On songs like ‘Dervishing’ and ‘Astral Plane’, there are layers upon layers
of sound to dig into with additional acoustic guitar, ARP synth and even flute
being added to the band’s sonic arsenal, expanding the scope of their sound
without abandoning the heady groove they carved on their acclaimed self-titled
debut. Isaiah Mitchell, one of the best rock guitarists working today, shows
off his chops, but also his incredible restraint, throughout. In addition to
the stretches of outright shredding, particularly on opener ‘Burbank’s Dream’
or the climax of ‘The Beacon’, there are moments such as the breakdown on ‘I’ve
Been Down’, in which Mitchell employs subtle melodic flourishes that slowly
build in intensity. The album closes with the dreamy ‘Storm and Feather’, which
is the calm after the howling storm of one of the best Psych Rock records we
have heard all year, with members of Earthless and Assemble Head In Sunburst
Sound together in a band you know that you are going to get an album of mind
melting, sonically rich Psychedelic Rock and Roll tunes but Berkana
surpasses all expectations.
Available as limited
edition of 500 copies on orange vinyl or shiny silver CD and digital download
(which can be any colour you think it is), Berkana is out NOW. You can get
yerself a copy from the Thrill Jockey online store or the Golden Void Bandcamp
page at https://goldenvoidtj.bandcamp.com/album/berkana. As Berkana is a Thrill Jockey release it
should be relatively easy for your local record emporium to order you a copy
but please note that the orange vinyl editions are only available direct from
Thrill Jockey/Golden Void on t’internet……….it good old black vinyl only from
the shops.
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