Turtle Skull - Monoliths

 


Psychedelic music is having somewhat of a renewed heyday, perhaps as modern life pushes us all further and further into the deep channels of the rat race, we're all desperate for something that speaks to an escape, something which lifts us entirely from the mundane and back towards the awe inspiring nature of reality. If you're one of those souls, trapped in the machine, Turtle Skull are here to help set you free. New album Monoliths, released on the 28th of August 2020 through Art As Catharsis, is here to remind you to reconnect with yourself; Vocalist/Guitarist Dean McLeod says: "This record is about the intimate connection we share with the Earth on which we stand. It’s about the world and your place in it. It’s about looking deep inside yourself and seeing what you find. It’s about life and death and everything in between… and most of all it’s about the pure joy of creation. We are very happy to share it with you."

So how do Turtle Skull go about capturing such an all encompassing subject? Well for starters, Monoliths touches on a lot of musical bases within individual songs. 'Who Cares What You Think' juxtaposes a Led Zep style riff against spaced out, atmospheric verses. Opening track 'Leaves' draws out it's introduction with synthesiser drones, before letting rip a crushing doom riff. 'Halcyon' delves straight into your pineal gland with four minutes of tripped out ambience. The flow of each song means that nothing feels out of place, sonic events are deftly placed for maximum effect. 

Secondly, the production on the record is fantastic. There's never a muddy moment, which is important when there's often several layers to each piece of music. It sounds as though the band really embraced the studio as an additional instrument for this record. Epic synthesisers and clear as day drums seem to cast more and more light upon your awakening spirit; the production serves to compliment and enhance the grandiosity of the music, communicating the band's spiritual engagement with the music.

For myself, the standout track of the album is 'Rabbit.' A succinct tune, but one that manages to capture all the moods of the album, with a delicate guitar part played with a deliciously crispy tone, which gives way to a tasty guitar solo supported by mind melting drones, and then the darkest refrain of the album. Run rabbit run, indeed. Least engaging was album closer 'The Clock Strikes Forever.' I'm a fan of long songs in general, but this one missed the mark for me and really did feel like the clock was striking forever.

The individual pieces of Monoliths aren't anything particularly new for psych rock, however, the dense layering of the record, the thoughtful compositions, and the intelligent application of synthesised sounds creates a mind expanding, hypnotic record that is a must listen for all.

FFO: Elephant Tree, Pink Floyd, Tame Impala

JC

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