Saturday 31 March 2018

Bucket List Review 8/10

Love ‘N Suicide is a psychedelic album that could definitely be the soundtrack to a good trip. The ten-track record is the latest from Paul Hayworths impressive discography, released in 2017 on Electrocuted Wilma Tunes. Having released a staggering sixteen albums (and one EP) since 2011, Hayworth’s creative juices are still flowing. Some notable releases from his collection includes a series of four lo-fi experimental albums, all recorded on a four-track tape recorder. Needless to say, the Englishman’s works are worth exploring, and can all be found free on his Bandcamp.

For fans of bands like the mighty Hawkwind, Hayworth’s music will transport you out of this world and into the realm of space rock. The opening song “The Signal” prepares you for the journey, putting you in a trance with a hypnotic drum-and-bass rhythm that allows washy guitar tones to begin to stir your mind. Hayworth’s vocals on this song, and for most of the album, are smooth and laid back. They slice through you like a warm knife through butter and help keep you sedated by the music. Songs like “Seashell” and “Chillwave” are similar vessels that have you bobbing your head while being totally zoned out. The term ‘chillwave’ refers to a genre of music characterized by this retro-pop sound. The moderately paced, lo-fi, psychedelic songs on this album are bang on examples of the genre.

The tracks all come together to create one uniform piece, but they do so without becoming stale and repetitive.  “Marshmallow” delivers a smooth 60s or 70s-era groove that provides a break from the washy interstellar travel. It is my favourite track on the album as it hits those Doors and Pink Floyd vibes. Another notable song is track number seven, “Ghosts On A Bridge.” It has a haunting guitar melody brought to life by the magic of reverb and delay. The rhythm is dragging and heavy, but not overtly aggressive, and the vocals are drawn out to make everything flow in slow motion. It is these kinds of songs that take the edge off your reality and help you retreat into your thoughts.

By the time you’re touching down with the closer “Spellbound,” you begin the return to full consciousness. Whether your mind has travelled to past memories or to imaginary worlds, you’ve definitely been taken somewhere. You have been spellbound.  If you didn’t dig this spell in particular, Hayworth has a lot more to offer. Hop on his other trips and explore some new music. For Montrealers trying to catch this kind of space-psych wave locally, check out A Devil’s Din‘s new album One Hallucination Under God. All-around, great psychedelic music.