Grab a pair of descent headphones, some bean bag chairs, turn out the lights, crank up the reverb and welcome our newest Midwest Action feature Psychedelic Sunday to the site.
Yours truly, MWA’s resident (and self-proclaimed) authority on psychedelic music, will be bringing you a weekly update on what’s happening in the massive world of “psych music”. Holding true to the name of our blog, Psychedelic Sunday’s primary focus will be on Midwestern psychedelic acts but expect us to jump outside of the box and into bands all around the world as well as some out of the fuzzed out, colorful past. Because after all, minds are always in need of expanding and what better way of doing that then to give you a weekly dose of psychedelic sounds.
For our first installment, I’d like to introduce you to local Chicago favorites, Secret Colours. The self-described “bastard seed of the ’60s psychedelia and ’90s Britpop bloodlines” surely live up to the title with their second album, “Peach”.
Secret Colours have put out what could easily be the best psych rock album of the year this far. Catchy pop hooks combine with some perfectly fuzzy guitar riffs to make nothing short of a masterpiece. The band employed the talents of Chicago producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Gomez, Iron & Wine) to help them realize this ambitious sophomore album.
The opening track “Blackbird (Only One)” serves as an explosive start to the album. The driving bass line and tempo changes keep you guessing on exactly where this song is heading. It’s followed by the slow psych rock tune “Freak” which builds upon the dreamy vocals of Blackbird and introduces some gorgeous electric organ into the fold.
By the time you reach the fifth track on the album, “Legends of Love”, you should be hooked. This is where the bands skillful songwriting and musicianship really shine and let you know what this album is all about.
At the halfway point of the album sits the first single from the album, “Blackhole”. The gentle acoustic intro leads into the chilling opening line “All that I can do is keep my dreams away from you, cause what you turned into destroyed everything I knew.” Add a droning electronic drum beat and some haunting keyboards and the song becomes a beautiful journey into another world. The music video only serves to add to the mystical experience.
The album as a whole manages to sound vintage but all together modern at the same time. Recalling bands like The Brian Jonestown Massacre and early Dandy Warhols, two bands that share the same appreciation of the ’60s pop scene.
The self-released LP is available in just about any format imaginable from the band’s Bandcamp page. This include a limited edition 180-gram vinyl edition with original artwork by Stanley Mouse. They are going fast so be sure to pick it up in whatever your preferred format is.
It’s pretty clear that we love Peach, but have you previewed or listened to it yet? What are your favorite tracks from the album?
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