Eternal Tapestry ‘Guru Overload’ LP/DD 2014

Eternal Tapestry 'Guru Overload'Prolific psychedelic act Eternal Tapestry have been weaving their magic since 2007, finding homes with labels such as Thrill Jockey, Not For Fun and God Unknown. Even though they have walked these planes for a good while now, Eternal Tapestry only came to my attention via their excellent split 7” with Manchester’s very own experimentalists Gnod, served up by the aforementioned God Unknown. Taken with the Portland septet, I was looking forward to checking out this new full length put forward by the environmentalist label Oaken Palace and I can’t say I was disappointed.

From the start you know you are in for a treat, kicking off with the sublimely titled Trout Fishing On The Street Of Eternity they dive right in at the deep end and deliver an excellent piece of Krautrock, giving more than a nod to legends Can and newer disciples Goat – albeit they are not as ‘light’ as the latter, you can certainly get into the groove, this is no chin stroking affair, just all out joy and deep vibes. Clocking in at just over ten minutes these guys certainly know how to keep things flowing, all the while keeping away from the pitfall of never ending guitar wankery, which a lot of bands of this ilk unfortunately fall prey to. The backbone of the next epic track is kept in time with a drum beat so fuzzed out that it bears resemblance to an old Casio keyboard drum roll, hypnotising you as the expertly wielded instruments dance around and paint the proverbial tapestry in the mind’s eye.

The overloaded, squealing guitar of brief interlude Just Call Me Whatever Is In Your Mind ushers in the final half off the record, building and bubbling towards a glorious crescendo, screaming through the speakers and acts almost like a cathartic blast of noise before dropping into the excellent and very moody piece The Double Bed Dream Gallows. Drawing on what went before, The Double Bed… drops the tempo considerably and plays out a darker more constrained foray into dreamy psychedelia, probably the stand out piece for me on the album, a gorgeous track.

Where Water Comes Together With Other Water rounds up proceedings nicely, drums brought to the fore as everything slowly winds down, this is the ‘going home’ song, as the night draws to a close and the ritual participants are gradually brought back down to earth from their ‘other’ state. Euphoric and dreamlike, Eternal Tapestry have really nailed it on the head with Guru Overload, digging deep into the psychedelic bedrock and extracting a nugget of pure indulgence and pleasure – delivering an album which is not one to be missed by any self-respecting psychonaut!

Label: Oaken Palace Records
Band Links: Facebook

Scribed by: Todd Robinson