STATIONS OF THE GHOST

It is refreshing and enjoyable to hear a modern psychedelic rock band that doesn't make the style into a tongue-in-cheek mockery of itself. Despite their humble beginnings, the Earthling Society has since developed into a prolific, and rather well-regarded act, although they are still largely unknown to those outside the progressive music community. Although the modern trends of psychedelic music have gravitated towards an integration with current pop/alt rock music, Earthling Society stays fairly on track with prog rock proper, a melange of the old and new that I have come to expect from the prog scene. 'Stations Of The Ghost' is a concept album of sorts that deals with a number of occult and 'spooky' subjects. Although it feels like Earthling Society is tugging in too many different directions throughout this album, the end result is one of the better pieces of psychedelic music to have come out of 2011.

While the majority of prog rock these days incorporates elements of the 'classic sound' into their music, it's rare to hear the old and new styles so seamlessly blended as it is with 'Stations Of The Ghost'. I usually find the 70's worship to defeat the purpose of progressive music, but Earthling Society are clever enough never to let those sounds overpower the modern aspect of their music. It creates a sound that isn't quite 'keeping up with the times', but certainly isn't living in the past either. That may be Earthling Society's most memorable trait. Something that makes 'Stations Of The Ghost' notable as a release in itself is that Earthling Society touch upon a myriad of psychedelic styles throughout the album. It starts off on a fairly atmospheric note, travels through the vistas of space and stoner rock, then baroque pop, and ends on a sitar-filled mellow out moment. It is very cool to hear all of these sounds within the course of an hour, but as a result, 'Stations Of The Ghost' seems to lack a distinct identity, and that's something that's almost always present in the albums I consider to be 'excellent'. Even so, the music here does not fall short of its hype.

From the standpoint of musicianship, Earthling Society execute the sometimes wildly varying moods with convincing passion and depth. The production manages to capture the details, but it does not have that organic quality that would have let the music come to life. In truth, 'Stations Of The Ghost' is not an album that will change my perspective on psychedelic rock or the modern progressive scene, but Earthling Society are doing more than enough intriguing things here to keep this album valid past the year of its release.

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