Hailing from Bergamo, Italy, Thomas Greenwood and the Talismans is a project born from an idea by Thomas Mascheroni (also guitar/voice of stoner trio Humulus), after a long series of jams inside a former barn above the hills of Lake Iseo. Thomas Greenwood and the Talismans play a psychedelic rock heavily contaminated by 70s influences, condensed into a cauldron of neo-psychedelia and West-Coast-style surfing sounds, transmitting an overwhelming energy live. After releasing two singles (‘Valley of the Sun’ and ‘Violet Hills’), the Talismans released their first album – the entirely self-produced entitled Rituals (2023). In March of this year, the band released Ates, their second full-length record.
Ates is a neo-psych album with a compact and clear sound, with influences from all over the psych/stoner scene. Between past and future, from east to west, it’s self-produced but still with plenty of polish and style, Ates creates a world that’s easy to visualize. According to the band, Ateş is an imaginary hidden city under the mountains of Turkey. A magical place buried by the time where men found shelter during the hardest environmental catastrophes.
The band further explains that the imagery of Ates is a journey through the mountains of Anatolia, searching for a city hidden among the crevasses and deserts. Where ancient men found refuge during the worst natural disasters. I completely agree here, and I’m not gonna lie – this album makes me miss doing drugs. The first time I listened, I was eight months pregnant mopping my kitchen floors and I SO wished I could be transported into a cool car, driving down some warm desert road at night having a slightly psychedelic experience. Alas, this is where I’m at at the moment, but listening to this album can still give you a similar experience when you close your eyes and let yourself go along on the musical journey to this imaginary land.
Opening with “When We Die,” a psyched-out Spaghetti Western of a track with mysterious, twangy surf-psych vibes, the tone is already set for the journey the rest of the album will be taking us on. Other songs, like the track “Mystic Sunday” lean almost 90s shoegazey, like early BJM with a more suave Italian style. “All the Lines,” the first single released from the album, is dreamy yet driving, and is paired with a fun music video (Cool imagery! Cute dog! Sweet mullet!)
Other standout tracks include “I Do Not,” with its extra jangly guitars, lyrical hooks, and prominent organ sounds, and “Sleepwalker” – the albums longest and heaviest track, a heavy stoner rock gem with hypnotic basslines and haunting organ. “The Road to Ates” is a fun, Eastern influenced jaunt of an instrumental that fits perfectly into its placement on the album, while album closer “Crack” brings everything back around to heavy psych sounds – dirty, sexy, stoner rock – exactly as it should be played.
The vinyl releases are offered in both standard black vinyl (limited to 200 copies), as well as a beautiful violet colored vinyl (limited to 100 copies), both featuring the gorgeous desert cover art.
Social Media Links:
Purchase/Stream ‘Ates’ here:
https://thomasgreenwoodband.bandcamp.com/album/ates
Follow the band here:
