Not content to rest on his laurels as a 60s Psychedelelic legend, having played with Tomorrow, The Pretty Things, The Pink Fairies and Syd Barrett’s short lived Stars, there has been a lot of brand new Twink related activity at the moment…………hot on the heels of the announcement of a host of live dates and single on Gare du Nord Records, Area Pirata Records are releasing Twink’s third album with Italian Neo-Psych band The Technicolour Dream. The two previous collaborations with The Technicolour Dream produced the critically acclaimed 2013 album You Reached For The Stars that revisited the sound of the late 60s/early 70s London freak scene and 2015’s Think Pink II which featured significant contributions from former Pretty Thing Jon Povey. Again featuring Povey on a few tracks, Sympathy For The Beast sees Twink and The Technicolour Dream setting the texts of Aleister Crowley to swirling Psychedelic Rock………..let’s be honest, when you’ve got Crowley doing lyrics for you then the likes of Bernie Taupin can properly fuck off. It’s a record that can be seen as a companion piece to the concept album Crowley and Me, recorded by Povey with his band Star Sponge Vision that had Twink behind the drum kit, which was released by the good folk at Mega Dodo Records last year.
Sympathy For The Beast brings Crowley’s imaginative poetical works to life within the context of a trippy Psychedelic Rock setting, with Twink and The Technicolour Dream conjuring up a maelstrom of psychedelic guitar, keyboards and throbbing percussion providing the perfect platform for his provocative imagery. Blending together full tilt Rock ‘n’ Roll that echoes the classic Pink Fairies guitar, bass and 2 x drum kit line up with more atmospheric pieces that have spoken text over guitar and lush synth washes, it’s a fantastic Psychedelic record full of magic and mystery. In essence, Twink and the band have reimagined Crowley’s writing not as a gothic tribute to “The Great Beast” but as something ancient and organically psychedelic in the true spirit of the texts. Although not the first to fuse Crowley’s writing with loud guitars, they have taken a much more subtle approach with songs tinged with an otherworldly strangeness and beauty amongst heady Psychedelic Rock………..one of the most absorbing tracks on the record being ‘The Poet’ that features a recording of Crowley mixed with a tripped out guitar and percussion improvisation. Also packed full of squalling swirling Acid Rock guitar and polyrhythmic percussion workouts Sympathy For The Beast is a quality Psych LP that has one foot firmly planted in the late 60s acid underground but still sounds very modern………..stand out tracks such as ‘One Star In Sight’, ‘Fragment From “The Ship”’ and ‘Hymn To Pan’ would sound great in any era. The album also includes two previously unpublished until recently Crowley works, ‘Your Grave Grey Eyes’ and ‘Cinnamon Curls’, that as well as the fuzzed up and freaked out Psych Rock remakes the original piano and soprano versions with singer Vita Pugliese are also included.
Due for release on vinyl by Area Pirata Records very soon as a limited edition run of 300 copies so keep ‘em peeled for an official release date.
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