It turns out that the Portland based
Stunned Records still had one last surprise up their sleeves before they ceased
to function; some “save it for the final moment” material that just waited to
be released into the public. The ultimate Stunned release is the split between
the Portland’s own Dewey Mahood (who also shreds in caveman kraut unit Eternal
Tapestry), known as Plankton Wat and
Magic Lantern’s own William Giacchi and Phil French, a.k.a. Super Minerals, this time backed up by
Caitlin C. Mitchell and M. Geddes Gengras himself. The split between the two
projects may be read as a psychedelic tribute to the West Coast, with Plankton
Wat side recorded in Portland and the Super Minerals side recorded in Los
Angeles.
Side A, despite Plankton Wat’s more
northern origins, presents the warmer, sunnier side of psychedelia in a series
of shimmering, relaxing guitar meditations ranging from shamanic folk, where
the phased wordless moans sound like the ultimate deconstruction of the
singer/songwriter format (“The Path Obscured”) to beach head dubby reverbations
in the vein of his Edibles project (“Borneo Canopy”) with stealthy wah-wahed
guitar barely, yet noticeably making presence within the abstract, non-rhythmic
drumming. Mahood goes for a shorter, song-oriented format which sounds almost
poppy compared to the flipside’s lengthy, cavernous explorations. Despite
making some more experiments, his trademark style of instrumental, bassy guitar
strumming stays – “Dark Temple” and “Still Lake Reflects” are the example of
this, being the mystical invocations much in the vein of this year’s In Magical Light, released on a UK label
Reverb Worship (highly recommended, both the label and the album itself).
Super Minerals’ side consists of
only 2 tracks, which are more abstract and slightly darker, while exploring
more “oriental” areas. Gone is the lo-fi musique concrete of The Hoax and Contacteer. Super Minerals redefine themselves once again, this
time going for complex, multi-layered psychedelic folk compositions with a
touch of sustained guitar dark ambience from The Pelagics and the liberal use of heavy, bassy moans. The
cascading, aquatic guitars and the chaotic pipes and flutes sound like the
calmer moments of Magic Lantern, devoid of much structure and stretched out in
time to create a thick, psychedelic ambient soup which sounds like a
more-cohesive, hi-fi descendant of the ultra-weirdos The Skaters. Additional
drumming by MGG and Caitlin C. Mitchell provides a ritualistic, rhythmical
atmosphere and further adds to the rich sonic tapestry of Super Minerals’ side.
Stunned Records ended their career
with a bang; both parties present their own, unique take on the vast and
multi-faceted genre of psychedelic folk. Plankton Wat is the more conservative
side, with distinctive guitar tones and relatively simple style, putting focus
on melody and an easy flow. Super Minerals go in the opposite, much more
liberal direction, often blurring the line between traditional instruments and
electronics, rising confusion about the source of sound, blending everything
into an abstract, mapless and shapeless jam without dissolving into unnecessary
chaos. What also makes Super Minerals one of the most exciting bands on the
psychedelic scene right now is their ability to effortlessly change their sound
and ideology on each album. One can only wait what new ideas and styles the
future brings for the Minerals (who I hope will last longer than the gone-too-soon
tropical psych rock outfit Magic Lantern).
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