Walker Philips is the guitarist in the band Tabernacle, who brings back the Old English standards with a rock vibe. His solo work, however, is more “earthy” and folk inspired. Here, on his second album, the songs are more stripped down, but within the same direction of Celtic and old-world folk inspired music. The album has warm analog production, invoking the sounds of the ’60s and ’70s. The opening song, “Listen To Me > Ballad of a Cancer with a Libra Moon or How the Crab Got His Scales”, is a nice acoustic song to start off the album with a blissful harmony of male and female vocals. The song invokes a feeling of the Bards of the Old World, with a modern Northern California sensibility. Flutes add an aspect of British underground ’60s psychedelic folk, with subtle hand drums in the mix towards the end of the track. This is music for the court of Kings and Queens of a medieval time, walking through the countryside of the past. “Juniper & Jade” is a Donovan inspired, light hearted track, with some brass accompaniment. The music video for the song features a walk down China beach in San Rafael, California.
“Marigold Eyes” is a Raga folk track with Sitars, and an electric psychedelic sitar headswirler, that are for sure from a past era. “Song of Solomon” is a somber tune with more of an Americana folk influence. On the title track, “God’s Eye”, the harmonica evokes a more Blues, Americana or Bob Dylan influence. Lyrics invoking heavenly lyrical concepts such as “I’ll be an open eye in God’s mind” give this folk track a more spiritual component lyrically.
“Lovebird”, the longest song on the album clocking in at over 15 minutes, gets into folk/prog territory on our musical journey, as the album opens up like an experimental flower towards the end. Flutes and light piano accompany nice acoustic guitar work on this song. This is music for a rainy California day with personal expressive lyrics of both love and loss. Reverse guitar, sitar, hand percussion, and delay landscapes get experimental on this penultimate track. “Bottles and Glass”, the lead single and most psych rock track on the album, invokes an early Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd. Organs and delayed analog vocals transport the listener to a time long forgot. The music video features an hourglass, smoke, and masked figures in an esoteric realm. The album gets more endearing on repeat listens, a headphone acoustic journey for the mind.
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