Sun Dial - Acid Yantra (British neoPsychedelia 1995)

Though it may at first sound heavy criticism to suggest that songwriting, as such, isn't a strength of a band, remember that some records are enjoyable purely because of their sound, the sheer aural pleasure that they can give. I think Acid Yantra is such a record. And with such a title, a psychedelic coloured sleeve and instrumentation including wah-wah guitars, a mellotron and exotic percussion, do I really have to waft a joss stick in front of you to let you know the kind of sounds we're dealing with here?

Sundial are a three-piece band who are clearly very much in love with the sounds of the 60s and it's not difficult to hear the influence such bands as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd and others of their era have had on them.

You know the cliche about wannabe rockstars posing in front of their bedroom mirror playing along to guitar solos on their tennis rackets? Well, listening to "Are You Supernatural?" makes me think that Sundial's guitarist Gary Ramon probably drenched his raquet with lighter fuel and set it alight too... ala Jimi Plays Monterey. It shows a lot of dedication when a fan goes all out to play like their heroes, but this guy even goes as far as getting the same incidental rumblings and feedback intro as Hendrix did at that famous show! Unfortunately, while he matches the tone, the songwriting isn't a patch on Hendrix himself.

Random notes: "Red Sky", opens with a gentle "Wind Cries Mary" echoey guitar and filtered vocals before jumping in with its heavy fuzztone chorus. "3,000 Miles" combines acoustic guitar with spacey synth-like tones. "Bad Drug" is more aggressive, with an almost Stooges-style riff. "Rollercoaster" is funky.

The most successful track for me is "Nova" with its "2000 Light Years From Home"-style haunting Mellotron strings. This song is more freeform than the others and allows the band to do what they do best... play the music and not worry about having a structured "song". There are flutes and a heavier section that reminds me of 1969-era Alice Cooper, and is the sort of track you can get caught up in. In fact, though it segues into the closing "Yantra Jam", you hardly notice the join - it just sehttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=1717586220402428521ems one long flow of music.

In conclusion, if you're a fan of '60s psychadelic bands, you'll probably be a fan of this album.

http://www.westnet.com/consumable/1996/04.09/revsund.html