Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound : Ekranoplan
It’s a wonder how anything gets done at the offices of Tee Pee Records. Based on the trippy, tie-dye and paisley sounds that the label’s artists are responsible for, one would assume that their whole staff just remains perched on their asses all day long, sucking bongs and popping shrooms and tabbing blotter hits on their tongues in order to find the most fitting band to sign. At the moment, it would appear that they’ve ingested some peyote petals with their newest export in the form of the Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound, who just may be out to exhibit that Theremin is the new cowbell.
Maybe the some of the old school extremists hippies from their hometown of San Francisco made good on their promise to spike the water with acid forty years too late as AHSS drone out dense, psychedelic, wavering, sun baked stoner rock with parched guitar riffs ala 13th Floor Elevators and Kyuss, led by the smoggy voice of singer/guitarist Charlie Saufley and backed with plenty of sloping percussion from drummer Michael Lardas.
“Rudy on the Corner” is a darkly propelled number fueled by a misty and dulcet Rhodes that sums up how AHSS brings to mind images of swirling oils and dyes in the projectors during a live show. Ekranoplan is overall scorching with a Doors meets Nebula in the desert vibe, putting to melody how the rays of sun totally fry your brain while you ingest narcotics all day long. The medieval doom sizzles with “Occult Roots.” And what would any album from a psychedelic band from the west coast be like without a sitar? Here it makes its appearance on the droning raga “The Chocolate Maiden’s Misty Summer Morning.” Just that title alone as well as the band name will make any burnout proclaim “Doooood……..”
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