PSYCHOYOGI

There has been an expansion in the ranks of PsychoYogi, with Chris Ramsing (guitar, vocals), Justin Casey (drums & percussion), Izzy Stylish (bass) and Toby Nowell (alto & soprano saxophones, trumpet) now joined by Tim Smart (trombone) and Ben Woodbine-Craft (violin). This is their seventh studio album and the fourth for me since I came across them with 2018's 'Accident Prone'. Since then I have really enjoyed their releases which are well out in left field, so much so that at times it feels they are playing a different game altogether. It would be easy to say they are heavily influenced by the Canterbury scene, or that Zappa has also had a part to play, while their use of horns has more in common with Art Zoyd than much of the mainstream, but what about Noel Coward and the English theatrical tradition? There is no doubt that also has its part to play.

Chris has a control of language and melody which could only be English to the core, and he has surrounded himself with musicians who can flirt with folk and punk as required, yet keeping it close to jazz and the result is something which feels far more in common with the Seventies than anything in the modern era, with Peter Hammill stylings also being brought to bear. One never knows what is going to happen next, when a glockenspiel is going to make an important entrance, or the layered harmony vocals are going to be taken to the next level with some Glascock-style bass runs. This is complex and complicated music which some progheads may turn their nose up to as this really is progressing and challenging and not attempting to be yet another clone of what has gone before but instead is broadening the musical horizon of anyone lucky enough to hear it. Does it sound as if 'Sing To God' has had an impact? Yes, it does, and is that ever a bad thing?

This may not be for those who want their prog to be middle of the road and actually anything but, yet for the connoisseur there is a great deal here to enjoy.

Back with their seventh album, PsychoYogi have maintained the line-up from the last album with Chris Ramsing (guitar, vocals), Justin Casey (drums, percussion) and Izzy Stylish (bass) again joined by Toby Nowell (alto & soprano saxophones, trumpet) who played on half of the tracks on 'Dangerous Devices' as he took over from John McNaughton. Yet again they have released a complex Canterbury-driven art rock album which is a melting pot of styles from jazz through prog, Beefheart and Zappa into Caravan and Can as well as the likes of XTC, yet somehow making perfect sense throughout. One can imagine this being released in the late Sixties as there is a naivety within, with horns being an important part of a sound which is massively complex and complicated at one level yet so simple on another. Follow any of the musical lines and wonder how the quartet manage to make them all sound as if they belong together as the threads are often incredibly disparate and apparently moving in multiple directions, all at the same time.

This is music to get lost inside, and definitely benefits from being played on headphones so the nuances and switches do not get missed. There is a lot of space within the arrangements, and all four musicians have the opportunity to move around and find their own place, and often take quite different journeys to get to the same end point. The lyrics are also an incredibly important part of the overall effect, with lots of words, and it is not unusual for Chris to use a limited range which also ensures the overall impact is quite different. It is a very English album, and one cannot imagine a prog band from any other country coming up with an album quite like this as there is some wonderful eccentricity within, music which makes sense yet realistically never should. When I reviewed their last album, I mentioned Cardiacs, and while they rarely sound like them, there is no doubt that albums such as 'Sing to God' have had a significant impact on these guys, and 'Digital Vagancy' is all the better for it. Fresh and new, dated and delicious, this is some album.

It was only earlier this year that I was reviewing PsychoYogi's last album, 2018's 'Accident Prone', and now I have had the opportunity to listen to their latest, 'Dangerous Devices'. There has been an expansion in the recording line-up since the last album, with Chris Ramsing (guitar, vocals), Justin Casey (drums), Izzy Stylish (bass) and John Macnaughton (alto and tenor sax) being joined by Toby Nowell (trumpet, alto & soprano sax). But as Toby and John only play together on one track I wonder if there has actually been an overlapping line-up change. This is progressive rock which also owes a great deal to jazz, with brass instrumentation being incredibly important to the overall sound. At times it is almost as if Hatfield and the North and Cardiacs have got together, but with more horns. The guitar is often staccato, the bass incredibly melodic, while the drums are more often to be found playing jazz structures than rock.

This combination of left field weirdness is incredibly commercial and so very easy to listen to ' at least to my poor abused ears: those who tend to sit firmly in the mainstream may find this just a little too out there for their taste. It is music which refuses to be pigeonholed, so while one may say this is Canterbury inspired pronk, that really does miss the point. This is truly experimental music that contains pop elements, jazz which refuses to conform to the norms of that genre, and when they go off on a complete tangent on 'Sooner Than Now' it sounds both ridiculous and in total keeping with the music all at the same time. Here is a band who are deliberately refuse to conform to anyone's expectations: they describe themselves as Leftfield Punk Jazz which is probably as good a description as any. It tells you all you need to know, in that if you want to hear something different which is incredibly easy to enjoy on first playing and just gets better, then this is it.

One of the unexpected side benefits from my books being published is that I am being contacted from even more bands than before, and such is the case with PsychoYogi. I heard from Chris Ramsing, who wrote all the songs on this album (and also provides vocals and guitar), who asked if I would be interested in hearing their latest album, which was released in 2018. I of course said yes and was aware that the name of the band had alerted something in the deepest recesses of my musical brain. It didn't take long to realise that some six years Paradise 9 announced that the replacement for Carl Sampson (who for me I will always associate with Casual Affair) was Justin Casey, who also played in PsychoYogi. I don't think Justin is still with Paradise 9, but he certainly is still there in PsychoYogi, and along with Chris, Izzy Stylish (bass) and John Macnaughton (alto and tenor Sax) has produced an eccentric, eclectic album which is right up my proverbial street.

Chris told me they are influenced by Zappa, Beefheart, King Crimson, Gong, etc., but that "etc." includes a myriad of other areas such as the Canterbury Scene (especially anything involving Robert Wyatt) and a huge chunk of Cardiacs. This is not music which will ever find much airplay on a "normal" radio station, as they weave musical threads together in unlikely patterns, underpinned by a very melodic bass line. It is this which often keeps the music contained and allows the guitar and sax to move and find new directions when the time is right. The drumming is rarely rock oriented even in the progressive sense, and has far more in common with jazz forms, and this all combined with music which I found to be incredibly inviting and enjoyable on first hearing has made for a fascinating album indeed.

Complex and complicated, this is music which needs to be sat and listened to, concentrated on, as while it isn't heavyweight in the normal sense of the word, it isn't something which can be left in the background. Listeners will be richly rewarded and given this is their fourth album I look forward to investigating more of the music of PsychoYogi.

Very nice music!

Last year I got to know Psychoyogi's music due to the facebook contact with their axe-man Chris Ramsing, and i have to say I am lucky to be introduced to these low-profile prog bands because they always have something interesting to share. This is a trio of talented musicians whose music cannot be catalogued as classic progressive rock, instead, you will find here the jazzy side of prog with evident Zappa-esque textures. The band has released so far four albums, being Shrine their newest, released back in 2016. It is a short 34- minute album divided in 9 tracks that will make you have a good time.

As you can imagine, the songs range from 3 to 5 minutes. The title track "Shrine" is a pretty cool introduction to their music. Jazz prog with inherent humor (you can tell by the vocals) but with a sound that is really easy to dig, I mean, normally bands under the RIO or avant-prog label might be difficult to digest, but this is not the case. "Optimistic Dream" has a soft sound that turns delicious in their instrumental passages; it also brings a kind of gypsy sound made by the winds. The short guitar solos are also very pleasant. "Trust" is another nice piece with those gypsy nuances, nicely complemented by soft vocals and a pretty nice rhythmic base.

"Happy Family" is a piece I like a lot. Its instrumental passages are delicious. The guitar work is exquisite as well as those soft bass notes. "Lucy" is the shortest track, but its 3 minutes bring comfortably and peaceful moments that pass so fast like a blink of an eye. Its first minute is like an introduction, then some kind of funeral drums appear along with trumpets and create a very enjoyable passage. With "Far Away Places" I somehow remember Gentle Giant, maybe due to the rhythm, but at the same time, the voice has a certain Claypool sound, but softer. It also adds a nice mid-eastern sound as background. Wonderful track!

The gypsy essence returns with "How to Break the Fall". What I like a lot about this band is that their sound is not the common one, I mean, if you read "gypsy" as description you might imagine fast, bombastic and loud rhythms, but Psychoyogi's sound is actually very delicate, and it is nicely balanced by the moments with vocals. "Methods" has a wonderful jazzy passage at half the song, and thought it is short, it is one of my favorite of the whole album. The last song is "Supermarket Man" which has a chaotic piano in the first seconds, later acoustic guitar appears and later vocals. Despite it is so short, they managed to bring different sounds and passages on it. Very nice!

It is a nice album, I enjoy their music, however, I think their soft and friendly sound could be both, a pro and a con, because it's a not so common sound that brings a different experience, but it may lack of those explosive moments that make you fall in love with the music.

Enjoy it!