EARTH, SPIRIT, AND SKY

A ravishing album by this little New Zealand musical formation. Fans of dreamy "acid folk" mixed with eastern raga instrumentation this album is definitely for you. The music is much more acoustic and ethereal than the previous spacey rock offerings. The music is dominated by introspective and calm acoustic guitars, plaintive harmony vocals and tribal percussions. The floating & bucolic electric guitar solos remind me Popol Vuh (at their most progressive rock hours). The music is very relaxing, delivering a kind of exotic psycho- atmospheric "trip", without becoming ambient and new age. Some tracks deliver continuums, minimalist, repetitive tones and motifs, giving a sacred, spiritual dimension to the ensemble. I've rarely listened to so much beauty and melancholy in recent progressive releases. Highly recommended for those who like sincerity, beauty in music and the perfect combination between East/West harmonies.

3,5 stars

Very good current psyche-folk with acoustic guitar, sitar, tabla and (average) vocals. The « Earth, Spirit, and Sky » eponym piece is an absolute masterpiece featuring fantastic wah wah guitar, completly out of time and able to compete with the best 70's psychedelic progressive. The rest of the album is more homogeneous, leaded by flute and sitar, supported by a repetitive rhythm on acoustic guitar. An great current band !