By DJ Monk
Cambridge’s Psychic Lemon inhabit the sort of psychedelic, space rock previously explored and opened up by the likes of Amon Duul II, Goat and Hawkwind. As its title suggests, this, their third album, was recorded live at The Smokehouse, a bespoke venue in Ipswich known for being at the cutting edge of the East Anglian music scene. With five tracks spread across 42 minutes, it is effectively split into two halves, with the first three tracks being grouped together under the banner of ‘The Past’ – a fitting epithet as they are taken from the trio’s last album, ‘Frequency Rhythm Distortion Delay. The remaining two tracks are newbies, presented under the banner of ‘The Future’. The first of these, the 11-and-a-half minute epic ‘Jonny Marvel At The Milky Way’, which the band describe as “a paean to the late Jonny Marvel, who could be considered Psychic Lemon’s greatest fan: a good friend of the band, Jonny was the MC at the band’s first gig, DJ’d at a number of subsequent gigs, and housed the Psychic Studio in his garden. He is woven into the fabric of the Psychic Lemon story”. The vinyl version of the album sold out within 48 hours of being made available for pre-order.
So, that’s the pre-amble out of the way, what do we actually get for our money? Well, basically exactly what it says on the label: five tracks of dark, psyche-infused space rock that heavily references the influences named above, presented in a single take. Fuelled by dense, driving bass lines, which in turn complement the precise percussion, the album truly is an aural experience, washing around and over you like a spring tide on the turn, immersing you in its spontaneity and dark, rich vibrancy.
Swirling soundscapes envelop and embrace you, drawing you in with the magnetism of a spaceship caught in the pull of a black hole. Guitars howl and weep, cajole and wrench, while the rhythms march forward with the inevitability of a clone army descending on a rebel base. Explosions of sound cavort playfully with each other, dancing through the density of the overall aural experience.
Jonny Marvel would be proud of his boys. Somewhere in the Überverse he’s sitting with a massive big smile on his face, enjoying the dark vibrations of the cosmic disco, swaying to its ethereal hypnotism.
- ‘Live At The Smokehouse’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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