UNENDING ASCENDING

'Unending Ascending' is a new and one of the countless Gong albums - the third post-Daevid Allen record released by the mythological psychedelic rock band formed in Paris back in the late 1960s. The current incarnation of the pothead pixies' crew is led by Persian guitar player and singer Kavus Torabi, who alongside his great bandmates makes sure to carry the spark of one of the most beloved old bands. Now, all three albums post-Daevid Allen so far have been recorded and performed by the same lineup of musicians and both the 2016 and the 2019 Gong releases have been sounding naturally very similar. 'Unending Ascending' is no exception, in fact, it is like a continuation of the former, as the band engage in the same psychedelic exercise, expanding but not necessarily evolving the sound of Gong, to be honest.

Nevertheless, all necessary Gong elements are here - the blissful gliss riffs, the psych-prog meanderings and the occasionally goofy and catchy lyrics, and much like the latest Yes album, 'Unening Ascending' is more of a celebration of what Gong is all about, rather than an attempt to showcase how much their sounds has progressed or expanded. Some great moments on here (which would include 'My Guitar Is a Spaceship', 'All Clocks Reset' and 'Choose Your Goddess') and some more derivative ones, as the band recaptures some sounds they had already presented on the last couple of albums by this lineup. Still, this is a fun listen but not necessarily an excellent highlight of their expansive discography.