Sheena Salazar Reviews Kingdom Of The Holy Sun’s Forthcoming Release, At The Gates Of Dawn, June 2, 2016:
At The Gates of Dawn is the forthcoming album from Seattle’s Kingdom of The Holy Sun, following last year’s The Return of The Sun Kings. The new album, to be released July 31st, will be the band’s second on Dead Bees records, but their digital discography goes back to 2012. During those 4 years the band has established their unique sound, and each release has been better than the last.
The new album builds on their already-established sound- coined “Cascadian Psychedelia” by the band themselves. Part psychedelia, part shoegaze; with elements of The Doors, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and The Black Angels blended together in a way that is uniquely their own.
At The Gates of Dawn’s 10 tracks are perfectly paced, with songs that are excellent individually but even better enjoyed within the soundscape of the full album. The album opener, “Flown Away”, a sunshine-y, tambourine-shaking jam quickly draws the listener in and, at nearly 5 minutes, has plenty of time to get them fully hooked. This is followed by “Cat Sounds”, the first single to be released from the album: a driving, pulsating march with vintage garage vibes and a blend of vocals and organ that showcase the Doors’ influence while keeping a modern edge.
The next 2 tracks, “Running Wild” and “Seven Orange Skies”, both clock in at 3 minutes or less and continue the driving backbeat. Each tune has it’s own vibe- “Running Wild” gives us an ultra cool guitar hook reminiscent of 60s spy themes, while “Seven Orange Skies” pushes the tempo to a near-frantic pace, the vocals and organ commanding attention.
The midway point of the album, “The Way of The Kingfisher”, is the album’s longest track at nearly 7 minutes, and is a complete change from the pace set by the album’s first 4. Slow building, it begins with bongos, acoustic guitars and echo-heavy organ chords, repeating for over a minute and becoming slightly hypnotic. As the vocals come in, the song begins to grow, and the remaining 5 minutes become a tribal journey laced in reverb and THC. Guido Anselmi’s vocals become much like a chant, echoing and spinning through the haze of guitars and percussion.
Tracks 6-9 bring us back to Earth- faster paced, more concise tunes characterized by strong basslines, guitar riffs, and organ hooks: “Wonder” is a freight train, snapping us out of the haze of “Kingfisher”; “Opal” is a sunny pych-pop jaunt. “Thoughts In My Mind” is the album’s heaviest, most definitively garage track- a dark, heavy burner with sexy guitars riffs and sing-along background vocals. “Tomorrow Always Knows” is a jangly pop song, its guitar line reminiscent of The Monkees’ “Pleasant Valley Sunday”- though as the track moves forward it begins to build intensity, until reaching its peak as it comes to a close.
The final track of the album, “A Thousand Misty Riders”, concludes the album with 6 and a half minutes of pop-psychedelia that Syd Barrett would certainly enjoy (the track name is a lyric in Pink Floyd’s “Matilda Mother”).
At The Gates of Dawn is a piece of Cascadian Psychedelia that the whole world can enjoy. The album release date is set for July 31st, and fans in the Pacific Northwest can pick up a copy of the vinyl at the release show that evening at Seattle’s LoFi Performance Gallery.
In the meantime, the album’s first single “Cat Sounds” is available now as a free download from the band’s bandcamp page. Find it here: https://kingdomoftheholysun.bandcamp.com/album/cat-sounds-single
by Kingdom of the Holy Sun
