Dean Allen Foyd ‘Road To Atlas’ 10″/DD 2013
Sweden does seem to be the place for the best for music these days, is it just me or do they push out some of the best stoner, psychedelic, rocking, doom music?
Another one from Sweden is Dean Allen Foyd; they are taking influence from the era that spawned it all, the 60’s. They’re not merely copyists or a cover/tribute band more like 1967, 1968 and 1969 dripped into a sugar cube with some of Owsley’s purest LSD.
Their latest offering is titled ‘Road To Atlas’ which opens with ‘Sadness of Mankind’ and blasts in with as much kaftan-wearing hippy with psychedelic soundscapes pouring out of his mind. There’s enough meat here for you to cram into your hookah.
The next track to glisten through the speakers is a UFO club style freak-out named ‘Insects’. The track trips along in the same way as the first opening, there’s nothing explosive about the sound of this release. It sounds like something that could be found sitting in a box of dusty LP’s next to Jefferson Airplane’s After Bathing at Baxter’s.
The Hendrix influences shine through in the next track, ‘Leave Me Be’, a staunch blues number that incorporates, aggressive vocals and searing, tone-filled guitar lines and early Fleetwood Mac rhythms. It’ll come as no surprise that the guitarist utilises a Fender Jimi Hendrix Tribute Stratocaster. All the Jimi vibes flow on the solo, with half-cocked wah wah and buckets of reverb. It’s almost like it’s been sampled from an Electric Ladyland session in 1968.
‘Hwy Lost (revisited)’ comes up next; a clear play on words from Dylan and all other beatnik propaganda from back then. The track has all the trademark sounds from one of Syd Barrett’s creations as well as excellently accurate sounds that all work together to make a fresh sounding mix of old and new.
The title track drifts in next, The Road to Atlas’; with faint blues chords again, drenched in reverb and Peter Green style lyrics (think Green Manalishi) I’m impressed with the authenticity of this release, it oozes that 60’s sound in abundance. No stone has been left unturned in achieving the era that inspired absolutely everything that we all love as far as rock music goes; this is one to hit the bong to…
Closing the recording is one of those songs that is lighter than most but is psychedelia in its purest form, you have double tracked acoustics weaving their way in an S.F. Sorrow way, Sitars are jangling away, tambourines clattering, odd stops and catch lead lines. This is where Dean Allen Floyd prove themselves as one of the most accurate 60’s inspired bands out there today. This release also proves that using Fuzz and freaking out is far from dead.
Label: Crusher Records
Website: www.deanallenfoyd.com
Scribed by: Sam Orr
