25 June 2014

Balduin - 2014 - A Post From Mars

Quality: 4.5 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4.5 out of 5

This is a compilation from the fantastic psych warriors over at the Active Listener for the equally groovy Balduin.  It seems that this Swiss fellow has been at it since 1988 (at age 10!).  We get a lot of meticulously created revival psych in the inbox at the ol' Garage, but this is a rare case where the artist grabs the ineffable vapours of vintage psychedelia and runs away with it in inspired directions.  Perhaps due to its nature as a compilation, this music runs all over the map of Tripsville, with straight up harpsichord-laced baroque pop, garage band grinding, folkish dulcimer pounding, and goofy electronica sometimes inhabiting the same song.  It all works quite well, though, as Balduin has the innate ability to set his musical thumbprint upon all of the different sounds.

Hit any track and you'll likely hear something to catch your attention.  But here are the things I dig the most:  I'm totally down for the fantasy forest at night vibrations that we get on tracks like the opening duo, as well as the hazy orchestral psychedelia of tunes like "A Hope For Loving You," and "A Simple Chime."  Balduin also nicely pulls off some more modern, indie-baiting electronic sounds with "The Shadows of Your Mind" and "Post From Mars."

Give "A Post From Mars" a listen - it a very impressive listen informed by both the insular bedroom studio as well as the orchestra capacity 1966 studio.  The tunes bear a slew of influences ranging from the Electric Prunes, to Donovan, to the Magnetic Fields, but the sound is not mere re-creations as this artist ultimately defines his own psychedelic visions.

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Balduin - 2014 - A Post From Mars

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