I think it’s fair to say that there are a few clues as to the style of this record, from the moment you read the title and look at the artwork. Acid King; a bit trippy mabye? ‘Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere’; more than a small hint of the psychedelic? And cover art of an old man riding a tiger (no, not the late lamented Dio) across a cosmic background positively screams of a voyage across the cosmos where your third eye is washed clean in crystal clear space lakes. Yep, Acid King really do wear their heart on their (album) sleeve.
From the opening notes of the simply titled instrumental ‘Intro’, Acid King set out their intention to create a trippy Alice in Wonderland sonic vista, populated by hypnotic guitar riffs, and rolling rhythms. This same loose vibe is further emphasised on follow up ‘Silent Pictures’ where the laconic ethereal vocals of Lori S. match her sustained effects driven guitar work, nothing being hurried or rushed, the interplay of the three musicians allowing the track to meander and grow over its nine minute plus length.
‘Coming Down from Outer Space’ continues to develop the theme of cosmic travel, albeit with its lysergic looping beats, the space in question could be every bit psychic as physical, and if the late movie auteur Stanley Kubrick had been a fan of rock rather than classical music, this track could easily have been a candidate for the soundtrack to 2001: A Space Odyssey rather than the work of Strauss or Khachaturian. Seamlessly the music blends into ‘Laser Headlights’, itself finishing on a fading guitar chord that almost imperceptibly builds up into the auditory flow of ‘Red River’, the waves of sound slowly washing out of the speakers and over the listener like the eponymous body of water.
Even with repeated listens, it is hard to see where one track on ‘Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere’ finishes and another begins, each track merging with and complementing its neighbours, and none demeaning itself by lowering to the depths of the radio friendly single for the ADHD generation. Instead the album is one that is best heard and experienced in its entirety. At a good fifty five minutes long, the album is hardly rushed, but with the way it gently massages the consciousness, it seemed as if no time at all had passed from pressing play to the last note of ‘Outro’, the listener being taken on a journey into a realm far removed from our own with its inherent stresses and strains, and into one of worry free musical experience.
(8/10 Spenny)
14/04/2015 at 8:50 am
*Adds Acid King to the list of bands I need to hear more from*
Great review Spenny!
15/04/2015 at 8:23 am
I try to keep that list short as I have so much good music I never have the time to listen to these days. I believe it is known as a “first world problem.”