Embrooks

Leave it to the British to deliver heavy psychedelic pop originals and cover the best of the genre with rarities like Turnstyle’s "Riding a Wave” and the cult classic "Francis” by Gary Walker and the Rain, in such a stylish and substantial fashion. Like their last album, this was recorded with careful attention to authentic analog sounds from the vintage gear of Toe Rag Studios (of White Stripes fame). The brilliant original "Back in my Mind” is a little buried by production mix in comparison to the better pared-down demo passed about previous to this recording, but is still an excellent composition worthy of many of the recent Nuggets second volume. The band’s schooling on essential psych is an important element to their style. Bassist Mole fronted England’s legendary psychedelic group from the ’90s, the Misunderstood, drummer Lois banged it out in another London-based garage band, the Dirty Birds and guitarist Al cut his chops on the Italian folk garage scene with Head and the Hares. Their understanding of the genre allows them to draw patterns that enrich and fulfil the high and low ends of the pieces, thickening the heavy sound with cymbal laden drum rolls and beautiful fat bass lines — essential requirements when approaching British psych pop. Two other superbly chosen covers round out this 12-song masterpiece of relevant and well written heavy pop.